


A Broken FamILY

by orphan_account



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Patton, Angst, Blindness, Burns, Child Abuse, Disability, Fire, I just attack Logan and Deavon, I love hurting my bois~, The Critic - Freeform, Unsympathetic Patton, creatwins, pain and suffering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2020-08-20 06:23:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 23,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20223259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Six kids are adopted by Patton Sanders. Patton is not very patient. Patton is not very nice. Patton leaves them with issues. It's been years since they all moved out. Patton reaches out. Patton is not doing well. No one wants to come back. But for various reasons they do.





	1. When the First Blow Landed

Remy was the first kid, adopted by Patton at age six. His parents had died in a car crash but they had always been very distant, hiring nannies to take care of him, so he hadn’t been affected very much. He adjusted very quickly and grew to love Patton in the first week, calling him Dad on day Nine. He lived happily for a year with Patton, never really having a problem. Then came Logan, age nine. Logan wasn’t normal. Logan didn’t do what Patton wanted. He couldn’t; at least not at first. He had been neglected and mentally abused and as a result had retreated into himself, presenting a cold and uncaring skin. And Patton didn't care for that shit at all. Oh, sure he had pretended he didn't mind for the first six months but then he snapped. Remy had been there. He had seen it happen. He had seen the moment that turned him and Logan’s world upside down, that had changed everything for them. It was an average summer morning. Remy had been sitting on the couch, still in his pj’s, watching cartoons when Logan walked downstairs, already dressed in nice clothes like he had every day. Remy had given up on wondering why and just accepted it. He stepped into the kitchen and he heard him greet Patton stiffly in response to his cheerful “Gooood morning, LoLo!” He didn't really pay attention to the conversation, not caring but he tuned back in when he regitured Patton’s hurt voice saying, “What’s wrong with my french toast?” Remy stood up and entered the kitchen, leaning against the doorway, watching. He loved Patton’s french toast, it was amazing! Honestly, Logan was so weird. Logan shrugged.  
“It’s unhealthy, you soak it in sugar and syrup and frankly it's disgusting.” Logan said rudely. Remy choked. This kid was such a brat! Logan strolled over to the fridge and grabbed an orange juice pouring himself a glass. “I don't understand why you guys insist on making everything so...sugary. “ Patton sighed.  
“Ok Lo, we can get you some other food. What types of things do you like?”  
“I like being back at the Home. It was nice there and I didn't have to pretend to like people i hated.” Logan said, looking at Patton with the most innocent and simultaneously coldest look anyone had ever seen. Remy and Patton gasped at the same time, Patton flinching as if he had been hit.  
“I will not be spoken to that way in my own house. You will apologize right now and then you will go to your room.” Patton spoke in a cold, deadly tone. Remy shuddered, inexplicably filled with a sense of dread. Logan gulped the last of his orange juice loudly.  
“How ya gonna make me?” He said, tossing the glass in the sink, despite being told to put dishes in the dishwasher several times at this point.. Patton stepped forward and Remy started viewing in slow motion. He watched Patton raise his hand and saw the fear on Logan’s face as he realized what was about to happen. He saw the fist make contact with Logan’s face and Logan fly backward into the fridge. He saw the pain on Logan’s face and watched Patton grab his arm and drag him to his feet and stomp upstairs. He heard a loud thump and Logan cry out and a door slam. Remy stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up. His heart was pounding and he couldn't breathe. Patton stomped downstairs and crashed into Remy, knocking him down. He wasn't hurt but he was terrified of Patton. Patton left the house and a second later, heard the car start. As the car drove away, the house fell silent. Remy just lay there, listening to the sound of Logan sniffling and the sound of his own heart beating so rapidly he thought it would break his chest open. He wanted to go upstairs and make sure Logan wasn't badly hurt but he didn't think his legs could hold him up.Remy wished he could say that that was the only time Patton ever laid a hand on any of his children, that he never hurt anyone again. He wished he could say he had come home with endless candy and Disney movies to watch together and apologized profusely. He wished he could say that the rest of everyone’s life was just sunshine and rainbows. But hours later, when the sun had begun to set, Patton returned. Remy and Logan had moved after about two hours of laying where Patton had left them and had silently moved to the couch, turning on the TV, watching it but not processing it. Patton stepped in holding the hand of a small boy, in a black and yellow hoodie and blue jeans. “Meet Deavon, your new brother!”


	2. Lies and Toothbrushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy and Logan lie to Deavon, Remus and Roman are added to the crew and Remus and Deavon have an interesting conversation about...Toothbrushes?

Deavon was unsure of how he felt about his new home. Patton showered him with love at every turn and tried to spend every moment with him and that was great! Sort of. Before that point, he had never really spent a lot of time with people and he started to get really uncomfortable really quickly. He started to avoid Patton as much as possible, fake sleeping and taking long showers but it was hard when Patton was between jobs at the moment. Meanwhile, the other two were acting really weird. Logan and Remy flinched whenever Patton came too close to them and they seemed stiff and spent a ton of time out of the house. They did seem to like Deavon but they only saw each other at meals. But finally, Patton got a job at the flower shop after a week of spending all his time with Deavon.  
Deavon woke up in his room at around seven am the first day and heard the car driving away outside. He stumbled downstairs, yawning. “Was that Patton leaving?” He squinted in confusion at the scene before him. Logan was helping Remy off the floor, a chair overturned. “What happened?”  
“Nothing, I just fell.” Remy said with a shrug. Deavon narrowed his eyes. He had always been good at seeing lies and that was definitely one. Why was he lying about falling? There was no reason to lie? Logan fixed the chair and the two of them returned to eating, as Deavon watched, suspiciously. 

Remus and Roman Prince arrived only a month later, seven years old. They were loud, rambunctious and completely identical. They bickered and fought constantly, but were inseparable. Patton put a stop to that shit right off the bat. Roman was Patton’s golden child, pure, sweet and oblivious. He was imaginative and easily excitable. They spent all their time together, but unlike Deavon, he seemed to enjoy spending time with Patton. Deavon hadn’t really had a chance to speak to them in the two days that they had been there and hadn’t really spoken to Remy and Logan either. He spent most of his time in his room, alone, as he had the majority of his life, while the two of them watched tv or were somewhere outside (He didn’t know where they vanished to and he really didn’t care). 

Remus was the opposite of Roman. He was foul mouthed and while he wasn't exactly rude, he wasn’t the most considerate person, was the kindest way to put it. He had only spent a little bit of time with Remus and even less with Remus and Patton together, but it was clear that Patton did not like him. He put him in a small and drafty closet for a bedroom and gave him ill fitting clothes. There was no doubt in Deavon’s mind that Remus was not wanted.  
It was later on the third night they were there, around 10:00 when Deavon had his first real interaction with Remus. He was reading a book he had found on the coffee table, he assumed it belonged to Logan and that he wouldn’t mind him borrowing it. Deavon was laying in bed, reading, when a there was a tiny knock on the door. He hopped up and opened it to see one of the twins standing there. After a moment he figured out it was Remus. Patton had bought Roman a pair of fluffy crown pajamas, while Remus had to wear an old shirt of Patton’s that was covered in stains and a pair of shorts that Remy had given him. “Hey, Remus. What’s up?”  
“Can you help me find a toothbrush?” Remus said. “If you don’t brush your teeth, bacteria will break down the sugar in your mouth and turn into acid, which will break down your teeth. I wonder what that would do to your skin…” Remus trailed off, his face turning thoughtful as he thought about it. Deavon blinked. Remus spoke really quickly and suddenly.  
“Um, yeah I can help you get one.” Deavon stepped into the dark hallway. It looked as if everyone in the house had settled in for the night, everyone's doors closed and the only light on was from Patton’s room. He went downstairs, Remus trailing behind him.  
“I wonder what they used for toothbrushes before plastic and stuff. Maybe wood or bones!” Remus gasped. “I wonder if they ever had to use human bones!” Deavon wasn’t unnerved by Remus, he was more...was curious the right word? He wanted to know more about what he thought and how he had reached the conclusion of using human bones.  
“They probably used hair or something for bristles.” Deavon commented, as he boosted himself on to the counter. Looking down to Remus, his face had lit up with a huge smile.  
“Yeah! Or maybe feathers!” He exclaimed.“Imagine them just running up to some random bird, yanking off some feathers and shoving them on to a bone and saying you need to put this in your mouth and move it around!” Deavon laughed. He had never thought of that before. He opened the medicine cabinet and his suspicions were confirmed, a half empty pack of toothbrushes laying on its side. He grabbed the pack and just then the light flipped on. He looked over, startled. Patton was standing there, his face stony.  
“What’s this?” Patton snapped. “Are you stealing from me?” Deavon, shocked, shook his head quickly.  
“N-no, no. We’re just-” Patton cut him off.  
“After all of done for the two of you, taking two unwanted brats, spending my hard earned money on you trash and this is how you repay me? By stealing?” Patton hollered. Deavon was frozen, his mouth open and his mind racing, so panicked and confused. What? They weren’t stealing, they were just grabbing a toothbrush! What was happening?! Patton stomped over and grabbed his neck. He wasn’t cutting off his airway, just squeezing a bit. “I can't believe that I got stuck with you two.”Deavon felt himself leave the counter and a second later crashed into Remus, the two of them slamming into the ground. Remus groaned as Deavon rolled off him.  
“Wh-” His sentence was cut off by Patton bending down and grabbing the two of them by their hair.  
“Ow, hey, what, stop!!” Deavon and Remus’s shouts were both ignored as the two of them were dragged up the stairs, their screams of pain echoing through the empty area. The two of them were dragged up the stairs and then dropped on the hallway floor as Patton stopped, panting. Deavon, tears rolling down his face, looked up at Patton in confusion. What was he doing? Why was this happening? He felt himself being dragged down the hallway by his leg and through his hazy vision. He heard a door open and then the two of them were lifted up and tossed inside. He recognized Remus’s room. He lifted his head and looked up at Patton’s outline in the doorway. Patton clucked.  
“The two of you will stay here until you guys learn your lessons.” The door slammed and he heard locks clicking. Remus and him lay there together of the cold floor, huddled next, just listening to each other struggle to calm down.


	3. Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IDK. I'm not really happy with this chapter. It took to long to write and it's to short and I edited it over and over again and it still doesn't feel quite right but what ever. Take this trash chapter.

Deavon woke up, freezing. He sat up with a wince, confused. Where was he? Why was it so cold? Then Remus stirred from beside him and the events of the night before came rushing back. Oh, god. What? Why would Patton do that to them? Remus rolled over and sat up. They glanced at each other then looked away. “Well, that sucked.” Remus said. Deavon looked back at him in surprise. Remus just shrugged. All of the sudden, Deavon began to laugh helplessly. Remus joined in, the two of them just cackling wildly.   
“That’s your response? That sucked?” Deavon gasped, out of breath. “My God, Remus! I’d hate to see your definition of awful!” They laughed even harder, gasping for air, their laughter echoing in the small closet. They were cut off though by a quick knock on the door. The laughter quickly died, the reality of their situation rushing back. Deavon cleared his throat, his heart pounding. He glanced at the younger boy. Remus just raised an eyebrow.”Y-Yeah?” Deavon asked, hoping it wasn’t Patton.   
“Are you guys okay?” Remy’s voice was muffled by the door. Deavon sighed in relief.  
“Is Patton gone?” Remus called.   
“Yes, he left a few minutes ago. Roman is with him.” Logan said. “We can’t get the door open. Patton hid the key.”  
“If there was a fire, we’d be burnt alive, like chickens.” Everyone was silent for a moment.   
“Do not worry, Remus. There will not be a fire.” Logan stated. “And they don’t burn chickens alive.” Remus let out a cackle.  
“Sure, believe the government propaganda, nerd. But I know the truth.” Deavon stared at Remus, who just laughed.   
“Ok then?” Remy asked. “Are you on like drugs or something?”  
“We’re getting off track. Are you two ok?” Logan interrupted before Remus could respond. The two boys in the closet just looked at each other in silence. There was a heavy sigh from the other side of the door. “Are you wounded badly?”  
“No, just bruised. Though Remus’s mind seems to be broken.”   
“Bold of you to assume it was ever working.” Remus shot back.  
“Good.” Logan said. “That’s good. “There was a moment of silence and awkwardness was almost palpable. Deavon interrupted when Logan tried to speak.  
“We know you can’t stay. You’ll get in trouble and you can’t help. Just go, it’s ok.” Deavon leaned against the wall across from Remus. There was another long sigh from outside.  
“We wouldn’t leave if we didn’t have to.” Remy said quietly.  
“It's okay. You can’t do anything to help us.” Deavon said. Suddenly, there was a distant car door slam.  
“GO!” Both Deavon and Remus yelled at the same time. Remy and Logan didn’t need to be told twice, two pairs of feet racing across the hall and down the steps. Deav on and Remus looked at each other and just sat there, hearts pounding. About twenty minutes passed and Deavon just about had a heart attack when they heard heavy footsteps, heavier than a child. Deavon sucked in a breath and breathed it out slowly. A pair of feet stood outside and he heard a key slowly slide into a lock. The door swung slowly and the two boys pushed themselves towards the back, wincing as the light flowed in.   
“Stand.” They scrambled to their feet, Deavon shaking slightly. “Have we learned our lesson?” Patton asked. The two of them nodded quickly. Patton’s hands shot out and grabbed both of them by the chin, digging in his nails. “Answer me verbally.”   
“Yes, Patton.” They chorused. Deavon’s heart was pounding and he found himself praying to a God he didn't believe in.   
“Good. You may leave for now.” Patton released them and stepped back. The kids glanced at each other, then Deavon stepped forward. Patton latched onto his arm, digging into his arm. “If you ever do anything like that again, you will be in this closet for months.” Patton whispered, the look in his eyes terrifying Deavon to the bone. He nodded quickly. Patton released him. “You two are not to spend any time together.”  
“Yes Patton.” Deavon felt a small pang in his chest. He wanted to spend time with Remus, having grown fond of the younger boy in the little time they had spent together. Patton finally walked away and left them. Deavon offered a small smile and Remus nodded in return. The two of them stepped out of the closet and walked downstairs and joined the other boys on the couch making sure to sit at opposite ends of the couch.


	4. Couch Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They wake up to find a kid in a hoodie just sleeping on the couch, with no explanation. He doesn't talk much and Roman is kinda rude to him.

“Jesus Christ.” Remy muttered stepping into the living room. A small boy in an oversized black hoodie was sat on the couch, curled in on himself, asleep.  
“Who’s that?” Logan asked from behind him. Remy shrugged. “Patton’s not here, so that means one of two things. He adopted another kid and then left for some reason or we are being robbed.” Deavon came out of the kitchen.   
“He was there when I woke up. I think he’s a new kid.” The three of them stood there watching him for a moment.   
“Should we wake him up?” Remus asked, appearing behind them out of nowhere, causing Remy and Logan to jump.  
“Jesus Christ, Remus!” Remy hissed, his heart beating uncontrollably fast. Remus just smiled like the Cheshire Cat. Remy didn’t mind the twins. Remus was a little weird and said a lot of strange things, but he was alright. Roman was loud and rowdy and got on Remy’s nerves sometimes. That kid just did not know when to be quiet. Speaking of Roman....  
“Intruder!” His loud cry echoed down the stairs as the young boy jumped down the steps and pushed through the group at the bottom of the steps. Remy really wanted to trip him but thought of it a moment too late. The annoying boy was ridiculously dressed, in a stupid blue and red prince costume and had a fake cardboard sword that he and Patton had made together. “What are you doing here you, fiend?” Roman demanded, poking the couch kid with his sword. The boy bolted up, turning to them, eyes wide.Remy rolled his eyes as Logan stepped forward, putting his hand on Roman’s shoulder.   
“Calm down, Roman. This is probably a new adopted kid.” He reasoned, but Roman scoffed and shook him off.  
“It’s only been a month since he got us, there’s no way Patton got another kid in that time.”  
“You two came a month after me.” Deavon said. “It’s not impossible.”   
“Please get your sword off my neck.” The couch kid whispered. Roman reluctantly backed down under the glares of everyone in the room.   
“Hello. What is your name? I’m Logan.” Couch kid glanced around nervously, then whispered something.  
“What?”   
“Not gonna say.” The kid said louder. Everyone glanced at each other confused.  
“Okay, then. Well, i’m Remy, that’s Deavon, Remus and Roman. What should we call you?” The kid hid in his hoodie. “Um, ok. Did Patton bring you here?” A tiny nod. “How old are you?” No response. Everyone sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do.  
“Do you want me to show you to a room?” Deavon volunteered. Another nod. “Okay, follow me.” Deavon led the small kid up the steps and vanished down the hallway with him. When he returned, they all just stood there silently and looked at each other.  
“That kid’s weird.” Remus finally broke the silence. Roman shrugged, then grabbed the remote.   
“Whatever. I wanna watch TV.” They all settled down on the couch to watch The Princess and The Frog, not noticing the little boy peeking his head down the steps and watching along with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep getting a ton of good ideas and then sitting down and forgetting them. Then I just write whatever comes into my head, not read it over and not think about the overall story and publish it without thinking.  
This is kind of what I imagined Roman to be wearing: https://photobooth-props.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/600x600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/k/i/kid_prince_king_costume_2_1_1.jpg


	5. I can't think of a title and i'm too tired to care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it took forever to write and it sucks and i dont really care right now

“Hey.” A tiny voice murmured, a pair of hands on his shoulders. Deavon blinked awake, yawning, his arms protesting as he stretched out.  
“Hmmmmm.” He hummed, looking at the small boy standing before him as the days events flooded back to him. They had awoken to a boy sleeping on the couch and then spent the rest of the day marathoning Disney and eating ice cream, eventually passing out on the couch together, completely forgetting about him.He felt a pang of guilt and sat up. Shit. He had abandoned some random kid, that couldn’t be more then five, and left him to his own accord while he was lazy and chilled downstairs. That was fucking neglect. Guilt crept over him. What type of person did that? “Hey, kid. What’s up?” He rasped, his throat dry.   
“I can’t reach the cups and i’m really thirsty.” The kid looked down and shoved his hands in his pockets. Deavon nodded, pulling himself off the couch, being careful not to awaken Remy. He had learned his lesson after the first time.   
“Come on,” he whispered, leading the way to the kitchen. He grabbed two cups from the cupboard, filling them and passing one to the boy. They drank silently as morning light slowly filtered into the room. Both kids stiffened suddenly as a car door slammed loudly outside, water sloshing out of the cups and onto their clothes, but they didn’t notice. Hearts pounding, they raced back to the living room, shaking Remy, Logan and Remus awake, Deavon stopping him when he reached to wake up Roman. Protests were instantly silenced and everyone jolted wide awake with one hissed word from Deavon: “Patton.” They jolted off the couch and ran upstairs, ducking into their rooms as the door opened downstairs. It was only after Deavon had quietly closed the door that he noticed the kid standing behind him. He looked at the tiny boy, who stared right back. “Here, let’s get you out of that wet hoodie.” He whispered, moving towards the drawers and grabbed some shirts. As he assisted the kid get the hoodie off him, he froze. The kid was almost entirely covered in bruises and was unhealthily thin, his ribs easily countable. He started shivering almost immediately and he hunched in on himself. Deavon gently helped him into one of his shirts. It looked like a dress on him.   
“Thanks.” The kid whispered so quietly Deavon almost thought he didn’t hear it.   
“Come on, you can stay in here for now.” Deavon offered.The kid climbed on to his bed and pulled the blanket over himself. Deavon lay down next to him, trying to keep some space between them. The kid immediately latched on to him and fell asleep. Deavon tried to fall asleep as well, but couldn’t. He couldn't stop thinking about the kid laying next to him. Where had gotten all these bruises? Why was he so skinny? Where did he come from? Who was this kid?


	6. Lesson taught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton teaches a lesson.

Patton slammed into his house, loudly, too exhausted and pissed to care about waking up the kids. He saw Roman sleeping on the couch and smiled slightly. He was the only one of those kids worth a damn. Remy was alright for a bit but after he had started hanging out with Logan the kid had quickly became standoffish and distant. Deavon had been ok for a little too, but after seeing him stealing with that heathen, he had quickly fallen out of Patton’s favor. And what was that new kids name? Vegan? Victor? Whatever, it was a stupid name, Patton remembered that.He’d gice him a new one as soon as the kids woke up, which probably wouldnt be for forever. Honestly, these kids were so lazy. Back in his day, they had woken up with the sun and played outside all day. And why was this kid dumped on him? He hadn't spoken to his sister in years, why the hell did have to take him in? It was so damn stupid. If the kid had behaved, his sister wouldn't have touched him. But no. The laws were stupid and Patton was saddled with some deliquent kid. The kid was probably screwing up something upstairs. He walked upstairs, slightly quieter as to not warn them and let him know he was coming.  
He peeked in Remus’s closet room first. He saw the kid sleeping, splayed out like he had been murdered, on the air mattress Patton had bought him. It looked only half blown up and if Patton listened closely, he could hear the air leaking out of it. He snorted as he closed the door. Ungrateful brat had popped the thing. Well he would learn his lesson when he was sleeping on the hardwood floor.  
He checked Remy next. The kid was on his back, arm slung over his face.He picked up the Starbucks cup laid on his nightstand. Where was this kid getting this stuff? There wasn’t a Starbucks for miles and Patton had never given him any money, so where were these coming from? Was he stealing from Patton? That was unacceptable. Patton crumpled the cup in his hand just thinking about it. He almost slapped the brat right then but held back. Roman was still asleep and Patton didn’t want him to hear. He looked down at Remy, almost nostalgic. He had been a good kid until Logan came around. The two of them hung out almost all the time and Remy got distant around Patton, almost avoiding him. Patton was trying to fix that but it was hard. He left, moving down to Logan’s room.  
Logan was awful. He was distant, insisted on wearing formal outfits all the time and claimed to not have feelings. He had corrupted Remy and turned him against Patton for no reason! Patton had tried to fix his awful attitude, his cold exterior and rude words but the kid just seemed to get worse with every attempt. It almost seemed hopeless. There was nothing to do but keep trying. He’d break this kid one day, he was sure.  
Finally, Deavon. He just didn’t get that kid, he just didn’t. He seemed alright at first, a bit distant but nothing compared to the other two. But, then Patton found him stealing with the nightmare child! Patton had punished both of them appropriately but apparently that was the wrong move, driving him away! Honestly, none of these kids could take a simple punishment. His parents had done the same to him and he was fine! He knew his place and who he was in the world but apparently kids these days were far too pampered to handle it! And that little brat with Deavon! Talking to the neighbors! How absolutely arrogant and stuck up of him! Clearly he needed to be taught a lesson! Patton lurched forward and yanked him from his bed, dangling him by his hair. Both kids jerked awake but the new kids stayed silent while Deavon yelped in surprise at Patton being there. Clearly, Patton’s sister had taught this kid well! All his kids still protested. “You worthless brat! Snitches get stitches, don’t you know that!” The kid just sniffled.  
“Patton, I don’t-” Deavon said, looking back and forth between the boy and Patton. Patton felt a surge of anger.   
“Silence!” He barked. “You aren’t worth the money for stitches so I'll have to teach you a lesson another way, won’t I?” He asked, a calm stealing over him. This was his prime, teaching. He loved it but had been fired shortly after beginning because parents are such softies and the administration had no spine. He sensed Remy, Logan and Deavon all watching. Good, they could learn too. “Answer the question, boy.” He dropped the kid who landed on his back and immediately kneeled on his knees. Petunia had taught this kid well!   
“Yes, sir.” The kid hiccuped. Patton almost smiled. Finally, an obedient pupil!   
“Do you know why you are being punished?” Patton asked.  
“Yes, sir.”  
“Say it.” The kid looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. Patton did an age check, trying to figure out when the kid had been born. Yeah, he decided. The kid is still young enough to cry.  
“I deserve to be punished because I was a bad kid. I made Daddy leave and Mommy spend all her money and got her taken away!” The last few words were lost in a wail, the kid looking back at the floor. Gasps were heard from all three kids and he almost thought he heard Deavon whimpered a little. Then Patton got an idea.  
“SHHHHHHHH!!!” He hissed loudly, silencing the kid almost instantly. “I’m gonna tell you this to be nice, you gotta be quiet!” He dropped to his knees by the kid. “There’s a monster that lives in the other room, it’s name is Remus.” Logan gasped and Patton knew he had figured out his plan. “You’re gonna have to spend sometime with it as punishment for your behavior but since you’re young i’m gonna give you some tips.” The kid was looking at him, eyes wide and face white.  
“A monster?” He whispered in fear. Deavon laid a hand on Patton’s shoulder.  
“Patton-” Patton squeezed his hand hard, the kid jerking it out of his hand with a cry of pain.  
“As I was saying, yes, there is a monster. Do you want me to give you some tips?” The kid nodded quickly, breathing shallowly. “One: you can’t wake it up. It’s going to wake up eventually but it’s better for you if it’s asleep. Two: it’s going to lie and say it’s human. It’s lying, It’s an evil demon and if you trust him he will destroy you and everyone else and you don’t want that, do you? Three: If it tries to touch you, you have to say this, okay, say it over and over until it stops touching you. ‘Monster, monster. Disgusting, scary monster! You are awful and no one could ever love you!’ Say that, ok?” He nodded and Patton nodded back. He stood and offered his hand to the kid, who began to sob silently as he stood, muffling himself as to not wake the “Monster”. He walked out of the room, his audience wide-eyed but not protesting as he led the kid down the hall. He stopped in front of Remus’s door and looked down at the young boy, who was barely standing, he was crying so hard. Patton almost smiled at his genius but held back as he thought it would ruin the effect. “Ready?” The kid nodded. “Verbally.” A garbled noise came from his mouth which Patton assumed was a yes. Patton swung open the door and pushed the kid inside. He turned around looking back, at the other as the door swung slowly shut. Patton looked at the door and then turned around, facing the audience. All their faces held varying degrees of shock and horror. “Show’s over, go back to your rooms.” Patton ordered. Remy and Logan vanished instantly but Deavon lingered, his face showing some emotion Patton couldn’t name before leaving. Patton poked his head downstairs to check on Roman. He still slept, not hearing anything. Patton collapsed in his bed, satisfied at having taught another lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like how this turned out this time, though it took a bit to write


	7. The Monster in the Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New kid meets the monster, Remus tries to help and Roman is oblivious.

Virgil huddled in the corner of the room, crying silently. He mentally thanked his Mother for teaching him such a useful skill. Just thinking of his mother made him cry even harder, little squeaking noises coming from his mouth as he tried to hold it in. He heard a rustling noise and then a groggy voice go “Whut?” Virgil gasped and pushed himself farther into the corner, wishing he could disappear. He peered into the darkness, straining his eyes but he could see anything. He heard some more movement and his heart began to pound even more. Please God, don’t let him come near me, i'll be good, I swear, just stay away, stay away go back tosleepstayawaystayawaystayaway. He mouth silently over and over, shaking. “Deavon, is that you?” The voice said, closer than before. Virgil began to pray even harder, not just to God but any who would listen. He tasted the salt of his tears pouring into his mouth and the voice was crawling towards him, it was comingcloser,closer, nopleasegowhatwerethethinghe wassupposedsaypleasenonononono. Virgil felt a hand on his arm and screamed. The hand jerked off of him but he continued screaming.  
“NO NO, MONSTER NO LEAVE ME ALONE NONO PLEASE SGO MONSTER NO LEAve me be…..” He trailed off into sobs, choking as he struggled to breath. “monster no, monster go back leave me be monster” He curling up in a ball, hugging his knees, continuing to whisper. “stop no please” he chanted into his knees over and over, closing his eyes and just wishing to vanish.

Remus sat on the ground, listening to the kid whisper. He’d just woken up, found some kid in his room, sobbing, tried to help and he screamed something about monster. Maybe he was some kinda psycho that was gonna kill everyone? Listening to what he was saying, Remus didn’t think so. Maybe he was schizophrenic? Maybe Remus was the monster?   
Yeah, that was it. This kid was schizophrenic and was having an episode of some kind. Remus watched the blurry shape in the darkness, unsure of what to do. He knew that kid wasn’t comfortable, he had slept on the floor for a week and it was the worst. He wanted to help and he felt horrible.   
“I really hope this is the right thing to do.” Remus said aloud as he moved towards the kid. “I'm gonna pick you up now, ok?” He warned, getting no response besides the continued murmurings. Deciding the kid probably wouldn’t mind, he put his hand on the kids shoulder…  
And immediately got kicked in the face as the kid scrambled away from him.  
Remus jolted backwards, tasting blood as he probed his stinging lip. It was already swelling. He winced and glanced over at the direction the the kid went. He heard rapid breathing from the other side of the room and heard the bed rustle a bit. Well, at least he got to the place he intended to move him to. Remus rose and moved over there, just wanting to go back to bed but the sobs grew louder as he moved quickly made him sit back down. Oh, well. He’d slept on the floor before, it wasn’t too bad.   
Roman smiled widely as he climbed into the car, Logan, Remy and Deavon following him. Patton was taking them to the mall! He said they could go to the toy store! Roman glanced around as everyone buckled up and narrowed his eyes. “Patton, where’s that new kid and Remus?” He asked.   
Patton sighed. “Remus and him were caught misbehaving, so they both have to be punished.” Roman nodded, not noticing the looks the other three gave each other. Remus needed to get his act together, he kept getting in trouble. Roman missed him a little but understood that if his brother was misbehaving, Patton needed to punish him. He was probably getting put in time out with no Disney movies or something. That’d be basically torture!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHATTT??? AN UPDATE WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT A BILLION YEARS? NO WAY!
> 
> And I just want to let you guys know two things.  
1: Sorry for you guys having to wait so long between updates but i'm trying  
2: I barely ever respond to comments, cause i don't know how to handle compliments but I want you all to know they mean everything to me. I appreciate and love everyone who has ever even glanced at this fic and your comments fill me with joy.


	8. The Oblivious Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MORE CLUELESS ROMAN HEHEHEHE

Remus sat up with a groan, his body screaming in protest as he sat up, squinting in the faint light coming from the doorway. There was a loud gasp and a scrambling of feet as shadow flashed passed and out the door.   
“Patton, I did what you said I faced the monster and it left me be!” The kid gasped, his voice hoarse.  
“Good for you, that will come in handy. Go downstairs, the others will help you get breakfast.” Remus flinched involuntarily, heart beating faster at Patton’s voice as he stood. The kid didn’t need to be told twice, running downstairs. “Hey, Remus.” Patton said, leaning against the doorway with a grin.  
“Really, you locked the newbie in here? You went a lot faster with him then you did with the other guys.” Remus blurted without thinking. He cursed himself internally. Why couldn’t he shut up, now Patton was gonna leave him in here again! Patton just shook his head and sighed.  
“See what I mean? I just try to be nice…” Patton said. Remus squinted in confusion, who was he talking too? Then, Roman stepped in the frame. Remus grinned shakily. Why was Roman here, was Patton going to punish him too he hadn’t done anything wrong remus was the issue, please dont punish roman too  
“I see.” Roman nodded. “Can I talk to him please?” Patton nodded.   
“Come downstairs when you’re done.” Patton said, walking away. The boys waited til his footsteps faded before speaking.  
“Sup Ro-” He was cut off by a hard whack to his head. He yelped in protest and rubbed his head. “What the hell, dude?” He complained, confused.  
“No, you what the Hell?” Remus blinked in confusion. What in the world was happening? “Come on, this is the best place ever and you’re ruining it! You keep screwing around and getting grounded and stuff! If you don’t knock it off, we’re gonna get kicked out!”  
“What? The best place ever?” Remus whispered. Didn’t he know? His heart pounded. Why was Roman so mad? He never yelled at Remus, no matter what Remus did. What was happening? His eyes burned a little and he blinked really fast.  
“Yeah! Patton’s really nice and he takes me to the zoo and to the toy store and stuff! The other guys don’t seem bad either! You could come to if you stopped misbehaving!” Remus felt his insides run cold. He didn’t know.

He didn’t know. And that was good. Patton treated Roman nicely. He let Roman have fun. He helped Roman be happy. Remus nodded, his legs jello as he took the hand Roman offered him. Yeah. He could do this. Roman was happy. Remus could behave.  
And if not?  
Well,  
Remus had always been good at playing pretend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is having a plot or an idea anymore? just sit down and type , what ever you have planned will be ignored as your characters fuck around and do whatever the hell they want. This was supposed to be them as adults. We were supposed to have two chapters introducing the characters and how they came and then flash-forward to them as adults. I still plan to do that eventually, but at this point, i don't have a say in it, the characters decide what they want to do. We weren't supposed to get Virgil for ages and we were supposed to have Emile and Thomas but no, Virgil decided to show up ten years too early and Emile and Thomas decided to leave the story altogether


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MORE PAIN AND ANGST HAHAHAHA

Huh, Remus and Roman were hanging out together without Patton interfering.That was unusual, Logan noted, nudging Remy and subtly gesturing towards to pair. Remy nodded, then shrugged. Deavon came into the living room as well. He immediately jumped up when the new kid came down and asked for help getting breakfast. Deavon was clearly already attached to him, judging by the way he had acted during the brief interactions Logan had seen, especially last night. A chill ran down his spine thinking about it. Even as someone who was emotionless, Logan wanted to interfere at the look on the kids face, pure terror and pleading for someone to help.   
Or the absolute blankness on Patton’s, empty of pity.  
Except for that one moment.  
When his facade broke  
And Logan saw the smile on his face.  
It turned his blood cold.  
Logan was cursed with a photographic memory.  
But even without it,  
He knew he would always remember that night.   
The look of fear in Remy’s eyes as the two of them left their rooms  
The look of shock and horror on Deavon’s face  
The acceptance and robotic look on the new kids face   
As he went through the movements   
Clearly having done it many times before  
The dread in Logan’s stomach as he understood Patton’s plan  
The terror on the kid’s face  
As the door swung shut on him  
The look of delight on Patton’s face at the choked sobs  
The look on Remy and Deavon’s faces as they gathered in Logan’s room  
Remy’s tears soaking Logan’s shirt  
Deavon leaning on his shoulder  
His back leaning against the cold wall  
Unable to speak as he rubbed Remy’s back  
And   
Long after the other two  
Had fallen asleep  
The quiet cackles from down the hall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this might be becoming losleep  
it could if you guys want  
but like i said  
the characters will do what they want  
whether we like it or not  
and we are just bystanders  
im just as clueless to whats coming next as you guys at this point


	10. Possible Abandonment, Lies and A Pillow Fort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton has been gone for a bit. Our older boys have a discussion about what to do, Deavon does some lying and we get a little peak into his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: When is this story taking place?  
Brain:....I dunno  
Me: Doesn't CPS check up on foster kids? Wouldn't they come by at some point and see what Patton is doing?  
Brain:...I dunno  
Me: Where does Patton work?  
Brain: Ok, you're asking a lot of questions right now and I can't handle that. This is not my problem.  
Me: THIS IS YOUR STORY!  
Brain:....And?  
Me:  
Me;  
Me: Dude, you have to stop making write for a second and come up with some background info  
Brain:.....no  
Me: Please  
Me: The kids don't even have ages  
Me: Dude, stop. You gotta come up with some stuff  
Brain:....that sounds like a you problem. Just keep writing. You'll come up with the stuff eventually.  
me: That's not how this works  
Me: Can you at least tell me when you're going to do it  
Brain:  
Brain: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Patton had vanished and Deavon had to admit, it was going much better than he had expected it to. The first day, they acted like normal, watching movies, expecting Patton to return. When they woke up, everyone was confused as to why he hadn’t returned, but shrugged it off, figuring he’d be home soon. By the end of the second day, while worrying wasn’t quite the word to use, they were definitely curious as to where he had gone. They had no issues, Logan and Deavon both being used to cooking and they were fine. On the evening of the third day, Roman, Remus watched movies and Newbie, as they had taken to calling him (he didn’t talk much and refused to tell them anything about himself) was upstairs with some toys Remy still had, though he claimed he had long outgrown them, the older three gathered outside and discussed what to do.

“Where is he? I mean, not that I really care, but like where’d he go? He kinda just, vanished.” Remy said, dangling his legs over the side of the porch swing,

“I wish I knew, but that isn’t our most important question.” Logan from the top porch step.

“Ok, then what is?” Deavon asked from his corner of the porch. He wasn’t really paying attention, watching a spider build its web on the corner of the house. It was so cool how they could basically make their homes anywhere they wanted. 

“When is he going to return, if ever?” Remy swung his legs off the arms of the swing and leaned forward intently and Deavon tore his eyes away from the spider and fixed gaze on Logan as well, startled.

“You think he isn’t coming back?” Both asked, surprised. The thought hadn’t even crossed Deavon’s mind. He had just assumed that he would return at one point, at the very least for some of his stuff.

“It is a possibility. The only irreplaceable thing are the kids and well ...” On that depressing note, he trailed off, letting the others mentally complete the sentence.

“Geez, Logan, way to keep it positive.” Deavon muttered, turning back to the web only to find the spider gone. He huffed in annoyance and leaned against the house.

“That’s the thing though: we shouldn’t be keeping this positive. We need to cover every realistic possibility. What if he’s dead, what if he never comes back, what if the power or heating gets shut off, what if one of us gets sick. We need to be prepared for every possible outcome.” The boys fell silent for a moment, contemplating that. It was possible Patton had left. It was possible he’d be back in a few days. Anything could happen. The silence was broken by a noise from the screen door behind them, though. 

All three boys whipped around to find the culprits standing there, Roman, Remus and Newbie hovering about a dozen feet away, in the background.

All older boys bolted to their feet, but it was too late. 

“You think Patton isn’t gonna come back?” Roman whispered, his eyes were red. They should’ve been more careful. Deavon swore mentally.

Logan cleared his throat. “It- um. It is a-” Remy stepped on his foot, glaring at him, while Deavon opened the door and kneeled in front of Roman.

“Of course, Patton is going to come back.” He practically purred, looking into the small boys eyes. “ You must've heard us wrong.” He said putting his hand on his shoulder. Remy watched in shock as Roman rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

“No, that’s what you said.” Roman said, but his voice seemed questioning, his face uncertain. Good, it was working.

“No, I think I'd know what I said, wouldn’t I?” He asked, tilting his head at Roman. He could sense Remy’s and Logan stunned gaze as Roman nodded slowly

“I guess…” 

“There we go. Now, why don’t we go build us a pillow castle and we can watch movies for the rest of the day, how does that sound?” 

“Disney?” Roman asked hopefully. Deavon stood and nodded, grinning brightly. Roman might have been the easiest person to convince yet. “Of course. You go run ahead and get started and i’ll be along in a bit to help, okay?” Roman nodded, smiling brightly and seizing Remus’s hand, ran to the living room. 

Newbie looked up at him. “Wow.” He said simply, before disappearing into the living room. Deavon opened the screen door and pulled the wooden door, before turning back to Logan and Remy, letting the smile fall from his face as he did.

“Really, Logan, you were going to tell the kid Patton abandoned him? Tsk, tsk, tsk.” He shook his head at Logan.

“Well, he deserves to know!” Logan protested, his face red. “Wouldn’t you want to know?” 

“Yes and I know you would too, but Roman isn’t us. He is a seven year old who lives in a fantasy world and thinks Patton is the greatest person to ever exist and i’m not gonna pop that bubble.”

“I don’t know, Deavon. I don’t feel good about lying to him.” Remy looked down as Deavon rolled his eyes. What was wrong with lying? 

“Ok, you go inside and tell that little boy his daddy left him.” Deavon told him.

“Why wouldn’t he want to know about that? Everyone would want to be told if their parents had abandoned them.” Logan said. Deavon couldn’t help but wince at those words.

_ Deavon looked out the window, hoping it was his dad, as the knock came again, louder and with more force this time. “Holy shit, is that a kid?” Deavon heard someone say as he tried to see. Seven people were in a uniform outside the door and more were on the front lawn. Deavon frowned. Dad always said if those people were nearby, to leave as soon as possible.  _

_ “Charles Santigoa, you are being placed under arrest. Exit the property immediately or we will be forced to use force to enter.” One of them bellowed as Deavon pulled on his shoes and grabbed his backpack. He threw a few of the remaining water bottles into it, glancing in the fridge even though he knew it was empty. A loud bang echoed throughout the small house as he pulled on his sweater. His heart beating faster, he ran down to the basement, just like his dad had told him. Another louder bang echoed through the house and he heard a bunch of people enter.  _

_ “Shit.” Deavon muttered. He didn’t know what it meant but his dad said it a lot. He boosted himself onto the window sill and yanked it open. He wiggled through the small space as someone upstairs yelled “Spread out!” and another yelled “Don’t hurt the kid!” _

_ As several feet came down the stairs, Deavon hopped to his feet and booked it for the woods behind his house, running as fast as he could. There were several shouts and someone dove for him but he evaded them easily. Now, in the woods, he ducked under the branches easily, hearing his pursers trip and get whacked by the branches. He quickly left them behind as he ran, his backpack bouncing against his back. He ran and ran, until he collapsed in a heap, his sides aching and sucking in oxygen so fast but still not fast enough. He didn’t even notice the tears rolling down his face until he tasted the salt in his mouth. He lay there the rest of the night, unmoving. He had no idea where he was, he had no idea where his dad had gone and even if he did know where he was, what good would it do? He couldn’t go home anymore. _

Deavon shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts under control. “No one wants to be told that, even if the alternative is a lie.” Logan looked confused but Deavon continued. “This is what we are going to do. We are going to keep Roman in the dark about Patton’s true nature for as long as we can, we aren’t going to talk about Patton being gone to anyone but each other and  ** _if. _ ** “ He said, stressing the if, “If one of us gets horribly sick or hurt or we lose power or AC, then we get help, not before. Are we good?” He said, leaving no room for argument. The others boys nodded and Deavon went back inside, smiling brightly at Roman and Remus’s poorly made fort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to give ages for some of the boys and the ones I did don't fit with the story i'm trying to tell right now so here are their ages at the time of this chapter, as well as how long it has been since they were adopted.  
Remy: 9. He's been with Pat 1 year and 8 months and one week  
Logan: 11. He's been here. 8 months and one week  
Deavon: 9.5. He's been here 2 months and one week  
Remus and Roman: 7. They've been here for a month and a week.  
Newbie: :). He's been here for a week is all i'm going to say.


	11. Quick Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is sure what happened. No one likes to talk about it. It just happened so fast. Everyone only has part of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT CAN I SAY EXCEPT YOU'RE WELCOME HEHEHEHE

One week had passed since they had last seen Patton and it was going  ** _great._ **

They all had been getting along and having a great time. They spent their days watching TV and playing at the park. They even met this kid named Calvin and he and Roman instantly hit it off. Less so with the others, but no one really minded. Remy could tell Remus was annoyed for a bit but he quickly found a new hobby: Messing with anthills. He’d carry ants from different hills to the other ones or kill ants from other hills and move them to a different one. Remy didn’t watch it for very long, but Logan observed what the ants did from a few feet away. With Logan distracted with Remus and the ants, Remy had a chance to get to know Deavon better and he wasn’t that bad. The two of them wandered around the town, Remy sipping Starbucks as Deavon ranted about random stuff. It was kind of like hanging out with Logan, except most of their views were opposite. With Logan watching Remus and Roman at the park, Newbie tagged along with Remy and Deavon. Remy had been worried that the kid would be bored but he seemed to enjoy listening to Deavon and Remy talk, every now and then, rarely, he’d toss in a sentence or two of his own, but for the most part he just seemed to enjoy listening.

With everything so perfect, it was inevitable something would happen.

It started so simply. Logan and Deavon were making dinner with Remy sitting at the kitchen table listening to them debate with his Starbucks, while Remus and Roman were playing in the living room. For once, Newbie was downstairs too, sitting on the couch, watching the twins. 

Remy winced as he burned his tongue again on the coffee. Deavon and Logan both sighed.

“Dude, you’ve burned your tongue like half a billion times today! Just wait for your coffee to cool down!”

“While I wouldn’t go so far as to say half a billion times, you’ve been burning your tongue a lot. You’ve been drinking that for ages, one would think you have learned your lesson at this point.”

“You’re gonna burn your taste buds off and you won’t be able to taste the delicious food Logan and I have cooked.” 

Remy winked at them and while looking at them dead in the eye, took a big gulp of the liquid, gasping as the scalding liquid went down his throat, grinning at their exasperated groans.”I fear not-” He was cut off by the sound of a sharp whack from the living room, a thud and an angry yell. The three boy instantly ran into the living to find this scene before them.

Newbie was rubbing his shoulder, as he stood back up between Roman and Remus. Remus looked shocked and had his hand covering his mouth while Roman looked madder than a wasp after you threw a rock at its nest, which Remy and Deavon had experienced the other day. He was holding two halves of his styrofoam sword and was yelling at Newbie. “Look what you did, you broke it, you numbskull!”

“It’s not my fault you decided to use a flimsy styrofoam sword to whack someone trying to pass through.” The kid said quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking down.

“Yes, it is! You shouldn’t have been in the way, you broke my sword!” Roman yelled.

“Hey, everyone, let’s just calm down.” Logan interjected but he was ignored. Deavon and Remy just stood there, clueless on what they could do to help.

“That sounds like a you problem.” Newbie moved towards the older children but before he could get more than two steps he was plowed into by Roman, yelling random curses and such as Newbie struggled to push him off, yelping in protest. Remy and Logan both ran forward to try to pull them apart but before they could get there, Deavon was there. He yanked Roman off of Newbie, grabbed him by the shoulders and slapped him hard. 

The sound echoed through the house and everyone fell silent. Remy’s mind was whirling. What the heck was happening? Everybody was frozen, no one wanting to break it. Even Newbie stayed on the ground, looking up at Roman and Deavon. The silence was eventually broken by Roman sniffling as tears rolled down his face. Remy wasn’t sure what to do. Slapping Roman wasn’t the right solution but he had attacked Newbie...so what was the right move here? “You are never the first one to land a blow in a fight.” Deavon said, his voice tight as he released Roman. “That goes for everyone here. You never hit first. Only in self defense. I’m sorry I had to slap you but i’m not sorry for doing it. Apologize to Newbie right now.” Whether Roman would have listened will be forever unknown. Because at that very moment, a car pulled up outside and Remy’s blood went cold. Everyone in the room made eye contact and the pure, raw dread in everyone but Roman’s eyes made it clear. They all knew exactly what was about to happen and that there was no way to stop it. The helplessness settled in Remy’s stomach like a rock as a car door slammed outside. 

“Roman, please wait.” Remus said as Roman ran to the door carrying the broken sword halves. As he ran past, Remy saw the fresh imprint of Deavon’s hand on his face. 

“I’m sorry.” Newbie whispered from the floor, tears gleaming in his eyes. Deavon nodded and Remy saw the words Deavon could not say in his eyes.  _ It’s not your fault. _

Deavon offered his hand to the young boy on the ground as they heard Roman’s teary voice through the open door. Everyone stood together, Remy trying not to throw up as Patton stepped into the room. His shirt was a bright collage of smiley emojis, a stark contrast to his face as he stepped inside.

“ ** _You hit my boy?”_ **


	12. Catatonic Body with a Screaming Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *insane cackles of a mad person who has finally had a chapter that ended up doing what she planned it to*

The words echoed throughout the house, somehow getting louder and quieter everytime they echoed, in spite of Logan knowing that was impossible.

“Well, did you?” Patton demanded after a second of silence. His tone was stiff and flat, like cardboard, yet it was somehow the scariest thing Logan had ever heard.

“He did, Dad! He slapped me real hard for no reason!” Roman yelled from behind Patton, glaring at Deavon. Logan prided himself on having strong self control but at that moment he could’ve strangled that little brat. He would’ve too, but for some reason, his legs couldn’t move.

“Yeah.” Deavon finally croaked. Patton nodded slowly.

“Why?”

“I told you, he did it for no reason, he was just being a jerk!” Roman yelled, crossing his arms.

“Roman, go to the park.” Deavon whispered. Logan couldn’t help but think back to the conversation a few days ago. Deavon had insisted on sheltering Roman from the truth. And, while Logan couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t want Roman to know, he was impressed that Deavon could even think about something like that during a time like this. Especially for a kid that was doing his best to get him in trouble.

“What, you can’t tell me what to do! Dad!” Roman whined loudly. Ungrateful bastard.

“Do it.” Patton ordered. Logan still couldn’t read his expression. Roman huffed loudly and stomped over to the door, yanking on his shoes and stomping loudly away.

Patton waited until they could no longer hear Roman before asking again. “Why?”

Deavon didn’t answer. Maybe he wasn’t able to or maybe he just didn’t want to. Either way, that’s when Remus stepped forward.

“Roman attacked the New Kid, sir. Deavon was just trying to make him understand why that was wrong.” He said in an uncharastically flat and emotionless voice.

“Did I ask you?” Patton barked. Remus flinched and shook his head, stepping back. “Deavon, is this true?” Deavon nodded stiffly. “Answer me verbally.” Patton hissed.

“Y-Yes, sir.” Deavon said. Patton nodded.

“Stop hiding from me.” Patton called, looking past Deavon, Logan and Remy. Almost unconsciously, Logan and Remy had moved in front of Newbie and Remus, sheltering them.The two of them stood around an inch and to either side of Deavon, while the newbie and Remus both were a bit farther back, almost hidden from Patton’s view. Remus offered his hand to Newbie who took it gratefully, not noticing who it was offering it. Ever since that night in the closet, Logan had noticed Newbie avoiding Remus like the plague. But it seemed, in the face of danger, he had forgotten to be afraid of Remus and had instead focused on the threat that was Patton. “Roman attacked you? Why? “ 

Newbie didn’t answer, shaking hard and gripping Remus’s hand so tightly that his knuckles were white.

“Newbie doesn’t talk much!” Remus blurted, hastily adding “Sir.” After a glare from Patton.

“He doesn’t talk? Well, we can’t know what happened, if he doesn’t tell us can we?”

“I was there, Ro- ” 

“SILENCE!” Patton screamed at Remus, who flinched so severely, he almost knocked newbie over. Remy started to shake by Logan’s side and he pressed against his side, silently offering his support. “If he can’t tell us what happened, he must be guilty.” At that, Patton smiled. But it wasn’t a real smile. It was the type of smile a shark would make before devouring a fish, if sharks could smile, which of course, Logan knew they couldn’t. “And if he is guilty, then he must be punished.” There was a strange ringing noise in Logan’s ears and he turned to concrete as Patton lunged forward and seized the New kids arm and dragged him into the kitchen. He was vaguely aware of shouts and protests all from everyone else and as much as he wanted to join in and argue that Patton’s logic made no sense, it seemed that something had gone wrong in his brain, for he was unable to control his body. As his legs moved him to the kitchen of their own accord, he couldn’t help but wonder what life was going to be like when he was stuck like this. Hopefully his body was able to understand it needed to feed itself and sleep without his brain’s help, or else Logan was doomed. Logan’s body stood in the kitchen door frame, observing the scene before it. It seemed that, while Logan’s brain couldn’t send signals to the rest of his body, it could receive signals just fine, seeing as Logan could see the horrifying scene in the kitchen.

The new kid was being dragged by his arms across the floor, mute and shaking so much, it looked as if he was having a seizure. Remy and Remus both had a leg in their hands and it looked as if they were playing tug of war with Patton, while Deavon stood in front of Patton trying to block him from leaving the house. There was a ton of incoherent screaming and yells echoing in the tiny kitchen.

“ **LET GO!” ** Patton bellowed, yanking Newbies arm hard, eliciting a wail of pain from the kid.

“NEVER!” Remy and Remus both shrieked, loudly, using their free hand to latch on to the table and the wall. Patton snarled and Logan saw his gaze latch onto something on the table and following his gaze, Logan saw Remy’s still steaming coffee from earlier.  _ MOVE _ ! Logan’s brain screamed at Remy and Remus as well as himself but his body didn’t obey and the boys weren’t mind readers and so a moment later, Logan watched Patton’s free arm reach up and sweep the coffee off the table. Screams of pain erupted from the floor from all three kids and Remy and Remus both released the New kid. 

Deavon was the only person still standing in Patton’s way and Deavon realized that a split second too late as Patton’s fist arced up and shot towards Deavon’s face, making contact with Deavon’s face with a sickening CRACK. To Deavon’s eternal credit, he stayed on his feet, even as the blood poured out of his face. Less to Deavon’s credit though, was when he collapsed after Patton kneed him in the stomach. No one was standing in Patton’s way now and he reached for the door handle. Logan began to mentally scream for his body to do something.

And it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *EVEN LOUDER INSANE CACKLING OF SOMEONE WHO JUST FIGURED OUT A PLOT POINT THAT WILL CAUSE SO MUCH PAIN*
> 
> Hey, guess what? We're going to get The Critic soon, aka Dice. Don't get too attached though...
> 
> *INSANELY LOUD CACKLING AS SHE BACKS OUT OF THE ROOM that stops suddenly with a loud whack*  
oops didn't see the door was closed lets try that again  
*LOUD CACKLING AS SHE EXITS, THAT ECHOS DOWN THE HALLWAY FOR MUCH LONGER THEN IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO*


	13. The Forgotten Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 Someone forgot to do something🎵   
🎵 and now Deavon's screwed🎵

It sat down, leaning against the doorframe. Here he had a better view of Remy, Remus and Deavon all latching onto Patton’s legs. He had a better view of Remus being the only one on the right leg and being sent flying into the cupboards with a loud whack and not getting back up. He saw Patton kicking Remy in the ribs repeatedly until Remy had to release him. He saw Deavon’s face as he closed his eyes tight and then yelled out the words that every single one of them would look back on and wish they could cram them back down his throat.

“IT WAS ME! I DID IT! I DESERVE THE PUNISHMENT NOT HIM!” 

Deavon’s scream seemed to break the spell on Logan and he finally regained control of his body. He scrambled forward to Remus, checking desperately to see if he was breathing. 

He was, thank God. He wasn’t knocked out either. He was blinking hazily but his pupils were normally sized and Logan decided he was fine, just needed a second. He moved to check on Remy and got nailed in the face by a sweeping kick from Patton, knocking him to the side and the ground. He winced and put his hand to his cheek. It was definitely going to swell but that seemed to be the only problem. Remy was curled in the fetal position but seemed relatively fine

“You want to take his punishment? You were going to be punished anyways, this isn’t going to change that.” Patton said, dropping the Newbie, who scrambled away. 

Deavon nodded, gasping. “I provoked Roman into attacking the Newbie and slapped him. You need to punish me, not him.” His voice was strained, but it was obvious he was trying to do the same thing to Patton he had done to Roman that day on the porch. Patton yanked Deavon up by his hair.

“You are lying.” He hissed. “That is unacceptable in this house.” Deavon yelled in pain as Patton slapped him hard.

And time slowed. 

Deavon fell to the right, pushing his arms out to catch himself.

And let’s go back for a second, shall we? To two chapters ago, was it? Where Deavon and Logan had been cooking dinner? They were making spaghetti and in the rush to go see what had happened to the younger boys, do you know what they forgot? I’ll give you three seconds to guess.

1,

2,

3.

Do you have it?

Well, here it is.

In the rush to go make sure the other were okay,

They forgot 

To

Turn off

The Stove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO REGRETS


	14. Chapter 14

_ “How old are you?” The man asked sternly again. Deavon had heard him the first time, he was just trying to figure out the answer. _

_ “Eleven.” He said, trying to disguise the question in his voice. He had heard people ask his dad this question before but the answers varied from 13 to 6. He figured it was somewhere in the middle, but how would he know? _

_ “Don’t bullshit me, kid. Why did you run?” Deavon sneered at the man standing above him. He thought he could push Deavon around just cuz he had some fancy costume on but Deavon was better than that. He’d be sorry when his dad got here. Until then, Deavon knew his role. _

_ “The real question is why don’t you?” Deavon said, eyeing his middle. The insult rolled easily off his tongue and he almost smiled at the familiar look in the guys eyes. It had been easy to figure out what his weakness was. The empty salad containers, the mirror on the door, the way his stomach was slightly tensed. And judging by the empty picture frames in the office and the kids drawing on the wall, he knew his next target. “Your wife must not have liked the way you treated kids if she left you.” There, the almost imperceptible flinch and the tightening of his lips. “Maybe if you’d been a little nicer to them, they’d still be here.” He said casually, spotting it in the corner, his smoking gun. “I’m guessing you followed the statistic of being alcoholic and abusive.” The man lurched forward and grabbed Deavon’s chin tightly, the stench of alcohol on the mans breath overpowering him. _

_ “No one knows you’re here yet, “ He hissed, still squeezing, “I found you freezing and unconscious in the woods and you know how easy it would be to claim you just didn’t wake up? Don’t test me, you little maggot.” Deavon nodded rapidly, his heart pounding and throat dry. “Good. Now stay here and I'll be back in a little bit. Maybe you’ll be a little more willing to answer me then.” Deavon was frozen as he stared ahead blankly, only one thought in his head.  _ ** _Oh Fuck._ **

“Deavon, get up.” A small voice begged, coughing hard. “Please. We gotta go.” 

Yells could be heard from all around the house and Deavon was faintly aware of a painful sensation on his face. 

“Remus, why are you still here! Get out, we’ve got him!” The small hand on his arm was yanked away and four more seized his arms and legs.He tried to clear his throat as some kind of liquid dripped in but couldn’t seem to move. He felt himself for a brief second then he dropped back on it, sending massive pain signals to his brain. Unable to handle it, he slipped back into the kind and welcoming darkness.

“Remus, why are you still here! Get out, we’ve got him!” Remy screamed hoarsely at the tiny boy clutching Deavon’s arm. Remus, wide eyed, hesitated and Logan yanked him away from the kid on the ground, shoving him towards the door. 

“Go!” He yelled and he vanished out the door. Remy grabbed Deavon’s arms and Logan, his legs, wincing at Deavon’s face. It was hard to see in the smoke but his face was covered in blood that didn’t seem to be stopping soon “Now!” Logan yelled and they lifted together, holding him for a brief second before he slipped from their grip and landed hard on the ground. “Fuck!” Logan cursed loudly as Remy doubled over coughing. How did this happen so fast? Deavon was hit then he crashed into the ground then the table caught fire. Remy had ran to the phone, calling 911, Logan by his side answering questions that Remy couldn’t. They had returned to a room filled with fire everywhere, a blaring smoke alarm, Remus and Deavon still inside and Patton and Virgil nowhere to be seen.

“Again!” Remy rasped between coughs. Remy Alagonez was not going to die in a fire, no he was not! They grabbed Deavon’s limbs and heaved again, getting a few steps before Logan threw himself at Remy, knocking them all down and back as there was a loud creak and then the ceiling above the doorway collapsed, sending a wave of ash and embers over the three. Remy hissed in pain as several embers landed on both his neck and hand, shaking them off before helping brush them off Deavon. 

“Son of a bitch!” Logan screamed as they looked around. Everything was fire, everything. The cabinets behind them, the two exits, they were surrounded by a slowly approaching wall of fire. Remy doubled over, coughing and his eyes burning. No, this couldn’t be happening! He was vaguely aware of Logan screaming his name, but ignored him, putting his head on his knees as he struggled to breath. I’m going to die here, Remy realized, a calm like panic settling over him. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t hear, there was nothing but blackness, his rattling breath and his steadily beating heart in his ears. Though, it wasn’t going to beat for very much longer.


	15. Staying does nothing

Logan shook Remy’s shoulder frantically. He needed to get up, Logan couldn’t get them both out of here, he had to get up! Logan coughed hard, almost tipping over as he surveyed the room frantically. He’d gone through too much shit to die in a run-down town in the midwest. He stood up, in spite of knowing it wasn’t what he was supposed to do. Hardly able to breath, he peered through the smoke. “Help!” He screamed, knowing it wouldn’t help the situation, but for the first time in his life, Logan didn’t have any idea what to do. He doubled over coughing, but forced himself to remain standing. If he was going to die, he was going to die on his feet. And it was while he was struggling to breath, he saw it. It was the dumbest idea he would ever do but the circle was growing ever smaller and it was his best shot. He kneeled on the ground and rolled Deavon over, beating off the small fire on his sleeve. He pulled the sweater string out of Deavon’s sweater, then unlaced the shoelaces on Remy’s feet. He tied Remy and Deavon together by their hands and feet, probably too tight, but Logan doubted they’d care. He looped their hands over his neck and tried to stand.

He fell immediately, landing in the fire. With a loud scream, he rolled away. Luckily, he had only burned the back of his hand a little, but it still hurt like hell. 

Logan sat, watching the fire creep closer and closer. I’m going to die in here, he thought and suddenly a rage flew over him. “Fuck this!” Logan screamed as loud as he could, his voice scratchy from the smoke. He forced himself to his feet, almost blacking out as he did so. “No, i’m not dying in here! You can’t make me!” He shouted as loud as he possibly could. He looked at Remy and Deavon on the floor and realized something.

Him dying with them did nothing. They were going to die anyways, Logan going with them did nothing.

“I’m sorry, you guys.” Logan murmured, looking down at them. At least they were unconscious. It would be painless to them. 

He built up what little strength he had and with his eyes burning, just from the smoke, no other reason, he covered his lower face with his shirt and ran into the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so there will probably be confusion on why Logan tied Remy and Deavon together. He wanted to loop their hands around his neck and then with them. He knew it wouldn't work but it was a last ditch effort from a boy who didn't want his friends to die.  
And not enough of you want to know what happened to our little Virgil~  
Just because Remy and Logan didn't see him in the kitchen, doesn't mean he was safe  
After all, it was really smokey in there


	16. Locked, flames, windowless and without a floor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these are short and not very well written or realistic but just bear with me guys. This is not what I planned and now i'm making it up as I go

Logan charged blindly into the flames, feeling them lick his skin with their acid tongues. He ran, his eyes squeezed shut and the flames attacking him from every direction until finally- WHAMM! 

Running full tilt, he crashed into a wall and fell over. He screamed as he instinctively rolled away from the flames, but there was nowhere to roll, just more flames. He screamed in pain as he rolled unable to think, unable to breath, just get away from the flames,you havetogetaway, ithurtsmakeitstop maek it sto 

And then as he rolled and screamed and rolled, he noticed something. The flames were no longer seizing at his body, grabbing at his clothes and devouring his skin like animals. He stopped rolling and uncovered his eyes hesitantly, then sat up, shocked. He had rolled into the living room, which while on fire, had a lot less fire then the kitchen. Tears pouring down his cheeks, stinging the burns on his face, he stood, legs shaking. 

He was faintly aware of the screaming pain from the rest of his body, begging him to stop, to go to sleep, but he ignored it, stumbling towards the front door. 

Only to see it consumed in flames while he was only steps away. 

Logan screamed then, loud and horrible. He screamed and screamed, his throat raw and his legs shaking, not for help, but just to scream. It was so unfair, he had never done anything wrong and now, after coming so far, he was going to die in a fire! He was going to perish in the flames, unknown and unmourned. He was going to die without experiencing anything life had to offer and no one would even notice. He turned back to the kitchen, where his friends lay, surely being consumed by the fire, when he saw it. 

The stairs leading to rooms, with windows! They were burning but not much! He could run, he could get away! He forced his legs to move and he bolted up the steps. He could hear the sirens approaching, they were coming far too late. He ran down the hallway, checking rooms as he went.

Patton’s room. Locked.

Logan’s room. Flames. Blackness creeped into the corners of his eyes but he shook his head hard, almost tipping over as he did. He was so close, he couldn't collapse now. 

Remy’s room. No window. 

He almost cried when he opened Deavon’s room. It didn’t even have a floor anymore, being directly above the kitchen and having collapsed earlier. 

He threw open Remus’s closet, his last hope. If this didn't work, he was going to die. With large smile that hurt his face, he saw a small window in the top corner of the room. His hands shaking, he pulled the blanket of the floor, noting how warm it was and rolled his hand up in the blanket. He stood in front of the window, body trembling and aching. Summoning what strength he had left, he jumped and punched the window, only cracking it a little. He almost cried as he stood back up. Forcing his body not to shut down, he jumped and cracked it more. He heard the floor creak and knew he had to hurry. 

Pulling himself together, he grabbed the faint wisps of energy and will left in his body. _It'd be so easy just to lay down, _Logan's mid whispered. _You'd never have to suffer again._ Logan pushed the thoughts away angrily. He hadn't come this far just to give up. He hadn't ran under fire, abandoned his friends and family and then dealt with abusive adoptive parents just to give up

Logan leaped again, putting everything he had behind the punch and this time the window broke. 

And then, so did the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "He hadn't come this far just to give up. He hadn't ran under fire, abandoned his friends and family and then dealt with abusive adoptive parents just to give up"  
Pay attention to the phrasing there, guys. I didn't make any mistakes.  
Logan's been in the system for awhile and we do know a little about his past from the first chapter~


	17. Helpless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really proud of this chapter.

Logan shrieked as the floor fell away and threw himself upwards, grasping desperately at the window sill, knowing he would miss and still hoping he would grab it, knowing there was no god watching over him and still praying, knowing he would meet the same fate as his friends below him and yet still begging everything in the universe to let him grab ahold of it.

And they listened, for when Logan mustered the courage to open his eyes, his hand he somehow connected to the sill and grasped tight, in spite of the glass shard cutting into him. So now, instead of being thrown into the fire to his certain death, he was dangling over it, slowly slipping.

Which wasn’t much better, but at this point, Logan would take what he could get.

Logan clung to the sill, with everything he had, which after a  ** _very _ ** long day, wasn’t much. He struggled to pull himself up, to get a better handhold for a second, but after a heart stopping moment where he thought he was going to be flung into the fire, he was content to just hang there for a bit so he could conserve strength, pretending he wasn’t feet away from a deadly blaze, consuming everything in his path.

So he just hung there, pretending his hand wasn’t bleeding horribly, pretending everything didn’t feel like he had just been thrown off a cliff and then incinerated in a volcano, 

pretending he wasn’t considering just letting go . He could hear sirens outside, voices and what sounded like a child crying. He hoped Remus and Newbie had gotten out, they were good kids. Maybe they would complain to one of the officers about Patton and they’d get out of Patton’s grip while they were still young. They still didn’t know Newbie’s name, Logan realized. He wished he had gotten a chance to learn it. The way things were looking, he probably wouldn’t get a chance to.

Logan wasn’t blind to the circumstances he was in. He was quickly weakening, the blood making his grip even more precarious. He tried to lift his other arm to grab the sill, but the spasm of pain almost dislodged his grip from the window, so he resigned himself to the situation. He was going to die and that was okay. It was fine, no one would really mind. He had gotten close to Remus over the past few days, but it was so brief and small that Remus would barely remember and Newbie never really spoke to Logan. He had seemed to bond with Deavon, but he doubted the kid would remember him. They were both so young, they would be fine.

Logan was so tired. His vision was blurry and he was shaking so hard, it was like he was having a seizure. Just let go, his brain whispered. You’re going to die anyways, you’re just prolonging your agony. But Logan couldn’t help but hold on. Maybe it was foolish, but he refused to have his last conscious decision be one of him giving up.

He heard a faint hissing noise but he couldn’t say for sure whether or not it was his imagination and he didn’t care enough to figure it out.

Shaking, his whole body throbbing, with vision so blurry he might as well have his eyes closed, he felt his hand, slick with blood, move towards the edge.

_ I wish I had a chance to finish reading Lord of The Rings. Now, i’ll never learn what happened to Frodo _

One finger slipped off the edge.

_ I wish I had a chance to visit the National Science Museum. _

Two, three, four.

_ I wish I had a chance to really live. _

One.

Logan plummeted through the air. Maybe he broke the floor and fell through to the basement, maybe he burned before he could, maybe he died on impact or maybe he lived for a little bit longer, he wouldn’t know. As soon as his finger lost contact, he fell unconscious. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I make short chapters, I'm trying guys. It'll be easier in the winter when school slows down and student council takes a chill pill, until then, just bear with me please.
> 
> Also, I updated the tags for this:)  
Maybe check them out, it might give you an idea of what to expect, but if you prefer the suspense then ignore them


	18. Two Innocents Blamed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to let you people know this:  
Logan was not in the fire for very long, even though there were like three chapters with him in it. He was in there for maybe 18 minutes, 7 in the kitchen, 3 in the living room and running up the steps, going up the steps and through the rooms, maybe 2 minutes and dangling for 6 minutes.  
Also, I know police protocol isn't like this, I know the fires progression makes no sense. And I know this chapter isn't very good, but it needed to happen.

Virgil ran faster than he had ever ran before, legs pumping and chest heaving. He didn’t look where he was going, unable to think, only knowing that he needed to run, to get away.and hit the side of the house, surely damaging it and he would be punished later but he didn’t care right now. He went flying off the porch, completely skipping the steps. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he was moving, legs flying, arms moving back and forth as fast as he possibly could.

He didn’t know what happened, but he knew the others had been screaming and crying and then Deavon stood in front of him and then was a whack and smoke and he had run then, run so fast and so hard he went through time and just like that he was no longer a small kid in a run down town, left off all the maps, but in a bustling city, filled with people celebrating the Fourth Of July and rouge fireworks and unsupervised kids and smoke and bangs and screaming-

OOF

Virgil was pulled out of his spiral by something flying at him out of nowhere, knocking him to the ground so hard he couldn’t breath. Opening his mouth and closing it like a fish out of water, he struggled to inhale. He felt whatever had tackled him roll off of him and it rolled him over. Virgil was shocked to see Roman staring down at him with a snarl of his face. “What are you doing?” Virgil wheezed, it gradually getting easier to breath. The pompous brat curled his lips at that.

“What am  I doing? What are  you doing?” Virgil could only stare at him, confused. He wasn’t the one who had just tackled the other. 

Roman shook his head. “Playing dumb isn’t gonna help and running away won’t either. Patton will find you eventually. C’mon, I’m taking you back.” Virgil’s eyes widened as he remembered why Patton had been angry in the first place. His throat tightened as Roman gripped his arm far too tightly and pulled him to his feet. Speechless, his let Roman drag him forward a few feet before digging in his heels and trying to grip on to the roots and such in order to stay back, but Roman was much older, taller and stronger. His heart pounding, he tried to speak, to get something past the blockage in his throat, to convince him to stop even for a second, to listen, but it was impossible to speak. He tugged on Roman’s arms desperately, hoping he’d see the panic in his eyes and hesitate, but Roman didn’t even glance at him. Struggling to breath, he threw his entire weight towards the ground hoping to dislodge his hold, but that was his mistake.

Roman easily held on and it allowed him to get a better grip as well around Virgil’s waist, pinning his sweater sleeves down so his arms were stuck as well. “Why are you so light?” Roman asked casually, as if he wasn’t limiting all of Virgil’s movement. Virgil tried to fight back, but at this point, it was all he could do to continue breathing. Shaking so hard he was surprised Roman wasn’t shaking as well because of it, the two boys turned the corner and saw the house’s front lawn covered by police cars, firetrucks and ambulances and the house ablaze. As they stood there, two of the ambulances sped away, sirens wailing. Virgil’s heart stopped.

Roman gasped loudly and he could feel his heartbeat accelerating before he dropped him and latched on to his hand and ran forward. Forced to move or be dragged, he ran alongside Roman the house. As they neared, they saw Patton talking to a police officer and holding Remus’s hand. Both were in tears. “REMUS! PATTON!” Roman screamed loudly, as he dropped Virgil’s hand and raced forward even faster than before. He kept the same pace and arrived shortly after. Roman was wrapped around both Remus and Patton, tears rolling down his face. “What happened?” He asked, stepping back. 

“That’s what we’re trying to find out.” One of the officers asked from behind Virgil. He jumped and turned around. “You two, come with me. I need to talk to the two of you.” Roman and Virgil both followed to officer. Roman seemed shell-shocked but Virgil’s heart was pounding so hard, it seemed like everyone could hear it. Was he in trouble? It wasn’t his fault, was it? This wouldn’t have happened if he had just stayed on the couch.  _ God, please don’t let me get in trouble for this, I didn’t know this was gonna happen, I didn’t want this to happen, I’m sorry. _

The officer led the two of them to the tree at the edge of the property and told them to sit down. “Do you two know what happened?” Virgil couldn’t speak.

“No, I was at the park.” Roman whispered. The officer took Virgil’s silence as an answer and sat down next to them. 

“Right, this isn’t easy to hear so I'm going to stop dancing around it.” Behind them, the fire was slowly dying down as the firefighters attacked the blaze. “Your Father, Patton told us your twin and adoptive brother, accidently started this fire. Your other brothers, Deavon and Remy are both being rushed to the hospital and we’ve found no sign of Logan.” Virgil’s world spun wildly for a second while he tried to understand what he had just been told.  _ Remus was taking the blame for him? Why? And the others were hurt? Oh gosh, what have I done? _

Roman stood up beside him.” _ LIAR.”  _ He hissed, not at the officer, but at Virgil. Virgil was too busy trying to understand what he had just been told to even try to understand what Roman was saying. Luckily, Roman was willing to explain it. “You are mad at me because you got in trouble, I see you running away from the house, I came back and it’s on fire and Remus is to blame? Fat chance!” He spat before running to Remus and Patton. Even from this distance, Virgil was able to hear him yelling about Remus being blamed for it and how his brother would never commit a crime. Virgil followed in a daze, the officer ignoring him. “Patton, you can’t blame Remus for this, the new kid had to be the one who did it! My brother would never set a fire! Tell them, Remus!” Everyone turned to Remus. Virgil wasn’t able to move or speak or even think. To be honest, he wasn’t sure what he would do if he was able to. 

Everyone was silent for a very long time, staring at Remus, who chose to look at the ground, tears pouring down his face. That was too long for Roman, he probed again. “Well?”

Remus whimpered before whispering, “I did it.” There was a sharp gasp from both Roman and Virgil. 

“YOU DID WHAT?” Roman screamed at Remus, shoving him to the ground. Virgil tried to inhale, but he couldn’t even manage that. “YOU BURNED THE HOUSE DOWN! YOU STARTED A FIRE AND HURT THE OTHERS!” He screamed, his eyes wild and for a quick second, Virgil saw a glimpse of fear on Remus’s face. 

Or maybe that was Virgil projecting onto him.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, I just wanted to see what would happen if I lit the toothpaste on fire and then I saw Patton’s matches in the kitchen and it just got out of hand! I’m sorry!” Remus sobbed. Roman continued to scream, but the lack of oxygen was making it hard to understand anything. The door to the house banged open and a firefighter came running out of the house with a limp bundle in his hand. He brushed by Virgil and the small nudge was enough to knock him over. The lack of oxygen combined with a hard whack to the head was more than enough to put him out as soon as he hit the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By far not my best work, but I went over it several times and I just couldn't make it better. There was no other way to do this chapter and I needed to establish several plot points. It's a little longer this time so..yay?   
I don;t know if I made this clear enough so just to make sure you all have got it:  
1\. Remus is taking the blame for the fire. If you want to know why, perhaps a quick glance back at the end of chapter 8, The Oblivious Prince.  
2\. Roman is pissed, not just at Remus, but at Virgil. He is positive that the weird new kid had something to do with the fire and he will prove it.  
3\. Deavon, Remus and Logan are all going to the hospital.  
4\. Virgil is too, because he passed out  
5\. Virgil also blames the fire on himself  
6\. They still don't know Virgil's name, I know i've accidentally used it before, but until something happens that officially has Virgil saying "My name is Virgil.", they do not know.


	19. The first of many

Doctor Kingsley was more than ready to go home when they got the call, having worked for over ten hours that day. She was exhausted and her girlfriend was constantly texting her to try to find out when she was going to get back.She had worked more than her fair share that day and without the proper number of staff members at the moment, she had been running around doing all sorts of tasks. But when the call came in and everyone in the staff room looked over at her, their inexperience and fear clear on their faces, what could she do but put down her purse and tell Katie she wasn’t coming home for several hours? After all, she had been here for seven years and everyone else that had worked for more than a year and a half had left, for good reason. She was the only one stupid enough to stay this long. 

“What do we do?” Dean asked. He was their newest guy, having just graduated.

“Prepare for a long night. Text whoever you need to text and then get ready.” She waited while her team whipped out their phones and then began issuing orders. 

Two of the boys came in at the same time, both horribly burned. The paramedics had already removed their shirts and pants, revealing how many burns they truly had. Even after having worked in the hospital, treating the most awful wounds unflinchingly for years, the sight of the small kids laying on their back, almost paper white and breathing so faintly she could barely see their chests rising, she almost threw up, She quickly got them hooked up to IV’s and heart monitors. Two more boys were wheeled in, one completely unburned. She sent that one out with Christie. “Get them oxygen masks.” She ordered, gesturing to the remaining three.

Paige quickly hopped up. “I’ll get them!” Paige had always been iffy around bad injuries and this was definitely disturbing her, but she was one of the best they had and she needed her here. 

“No, stay. Jim, get them.” Paige reluctantly returned to the bedside and they began to assess the boys.

Several hours later, Kingsley exited the room to meet the parent, a Patton Sanders. She had been informed after a few hours that he and another kid were in the waiting room, waiting for news and while it hadn’t been confirmed, gossip was that another kid was in police custody at the moment, having been the one to set the fire. She shut down that talk, stating that it was none of their business and that their job was to save the boys, but secretly she wondered. 

“Mr. Sanders?” She asked unnecessarily. He was the only person there, along with a small boy curled up on his lap, waking up at the sound of her voice. She cringed at the hopeful looks on their faces. What she was about to tell them was going to change their lives forever and she was not looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda want to take the hospital characters i just made up and make a story with them..


	20. Insert witty title here that is funny and still relates to the chapter content

Roman’s ears rang as the lady spoke, her words echoing in his ears. He had just woken up and his head hurt like heck and he was still trying to figure out what way was up and now she was telling him all sorts of important shit? No thanks, lady, it’s like midnight and I can learn all this stuff when the walls aren’t spinning, he decided and laid back down.

Patton sat silently as the nurse listed off the extent of each child's injuries. Skin grafts, physical therapy, third degree burns, the sounds all blended together and shifted into one thing.

The sound of a rapidly emptying bank account.

Patton wasn’t rich, he couldn’t do this stuff! How was he supposed to afford the time they had spent in the hospital already, let alone  _ therapy and skin grafts.  _ Those weren’t need to keep them alive, they were just ways for the hospital to siphon money from him, like a leech!

And the lady even said several times they weren’t sure if they were going to live yet, too not get hopeful and already the costs were piling up faster than Patton could imagine. 

“Who have you operated on?” Patton demanded, grabbing her arm a bit rougher than he needed to, but it's not like he was hurting her. But she was quick to yank her arm from his grip and step back a bit, looking wary of him. He felt a wave of frustration wash over him at that. Back in his day, they knew how to behave and let men do whatever they wanted. Apparently that wasn't the case anymore. Society really had gone downhill, with people thinking they were bigger than they were. What happened to the nice, quiet olden days where people did what they were told?

“We’ve performed grafts on Logan and Remy’s face, cleaned their wounds and cleared the toxins from all of the boys lungs. However, I must caution you against being too hopeful. While Remy has stabilized, Deavon and Logan are very much in danger still and Remy could slip back as well. We are doing all we can. Your kids are in the best hands possible” She waited for a reaction from Patton, who simply nodded. She looked a little flustered, clearly having expected some sort of response besides that and the rest of her words were rushed. “Your other son, who no one has given us a name for, is fine. We’ve treated him for shock and as soon as he wakes up, he is free to leave. “

Patton nodded, pursing his lips as he thought.

“Don’t do anything that isn’t necessary for survival. No skin grafts, nothing like that. Just keep them alive” He ordered. The doctor's mouth opened a little bit and she rushed to convince him otherwise, no doubt trying to get him to spend all of his money on this awful hospital.

“Sir, you re-” Patton cut her off, resisting the urge to slap her for trying to correct him. He knew what he was doing and she needed to do her job and obey him. These kids lived with him and he knew what he was doing better than some random doctor that they had never met before.

“I know what I said. “ He said, sternly. In his lap, Roman stirred and shifted his position. He glared at the lady, wishing he could put her in her place, but he couldn’t wake up Roman. He deserved to sleep after the long day he had. “You are free to leave.” He waved his hand at the lady and after a moment, she sighed and walked away, leaving Patton alone with his son.

_ Virgil watched the ground beneath his feet, making sure to avoid all the bugs on the worn dirt path, listening to Deavon and Remy discuss Sleeping Beauty, which they had watched the night before for the first time. “The prince was really rude.” Remy said, in between sips of his Starbucks. “This lady was sleeping. What if she was having a really good dream or something? I know that if some rando kissed me while I was sleeping, I’d destroy him and anyone with common sense would do the same.” Virgil stifled a laugh at that. He liked Remy, he decided. He was funny and didn’t try to force Virgil to talk, even though he should join in the conversation. It was rude not to, but the other didn’t seem to mind. _

_ “You are such a walnut. She was in a cursed sleep, she never would’ve woken up without help.” Deavon said, gnawing on his straw. “Here, can you hold my drink? My shoes untied.” Remy took the drink and the group paused for him to kneel down and tie it. _

_ “And what’s wrong with that? She never said she had a problem with it and no one asked her opinion. “ Remy protested. “And you’re the walnut.” _

_ “Who would want to be in an enchanted sleep for the rest of their life?” Deavon sighed as he stood back up. Virgil gathered up his courage and forced down the lump in his throat as the group continued moving. _

_ “She was warned against touching spindles her whole life and then immediately touched one as soon as she could? She definitely wanted to sleep.” Remy laughed and high fived Virgil as Deavon gasped, offended. _

_ “See, Newbie agrees!” Remy crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at Deavon, who huffed and rolled his eyes. _

_ “I thought we were friends, Newbie, but it turns out I barely knew you! This kind of traitorous act can never be forgiven!” He declared, turning away haughtily. Virgil frowned at that but Remy just laughed at him.  _

_ “You’re so overdramatic but I bet you’ll forgive us once you realize who’s got your hot chocolate!” Remy said in a singsong voice, waving the cup in the air. Deavon whipped around as Virgil stifled a laugh. Deavon grabbed for it but Remy jumped up on a boulder and smirked at him. “Nice try, tiny.” Deavon huffed and scrambled on to the rock, far too fast for Virgil’s taste. He watched them closely as Deavon lunged for his cup, Remy dancing along the edge and dodging him easily. _

_ Until, he stepped to closely to the edge and began to slip backwards. He tried to rebalance and would have succeeded, if it hadn’t been for Deavon seizing the opportunity to grab his cup and as he did so, nudge Remy over so slightly and cause him to lose his balance entirely, falling backwards, Virgil watching in horror. _

_ Remy hit the ground with a loud thump and Virgil ran to his side, wide eyed. His coffee had exploded and he was soaked with it, his entire body shaking with...laughter? _

_ Deavon, laughing as well, jumped down from the rock and smirked, “That why you don’t steal my stuff.” He sipped his hot chocolate smugly as Remy rolled his eyes. _

_ “You owe me a new coffee!” He yelled indignantly, his tone not matching the bright smile on his face. Virgil watched in confusion. What the heck? How was he okay? As the two shoved and teased each other, Virgil came to the conclusion that they, were  _ _ insane _ _ , and he was the only thing between them and utter self destruction. _

“Hey, he’s waking up!” An unfamiliar voice yelled and someone started shining a light in his eyes. He pushed the hand away and blinked at his surroundings. Where in the world was he? 

“Hey, someone get his dad.” A girl ordered and another boy went running out of the room. “Hey, sweetie, you feeling ok?” Virgil nodded dumbly. “You fainted and they brought you here, do you remember that?” She asked, in a sickly sweet voice, as Virgil was slammed with memories from the day before.

The fire, Remus taking the fall,  **the others** . He bolted upright, the lady jumping up in alarm as he stuttered over the words.

“Are they okay?” He choked out, barely able to breath. “My” He choked on the word brothers, his throat sealing over. Because they weren’t brothers, were they? He had only known them for around a week and he had almost killed them in that time. The lady seemed to understand though and nodded, gnawing on her lip.

“They are alright…” She trailed off, leaving Virgil to fill in the blanks. They were alright, for now. He nodded, falling back on his pillow, only to sit right back up when the door banged open loudly and Patton came running in. Virgil flinched as he was scooped up and Pattons arms wrapped around him, before carefully putting his arms around him in return.

“I’m so glad you’re okay...Kiddo!” He yelled, hugging him far too tightly, but Virgil knew better than to protest. It would be over soon enough and sure enough, he released him after another few seconds. “How do I get him released from your care?” He demanded immediately, turning to the lady.

“I’ll get the papers and you can get him out of here right away.” The lady chirped with a bright smile and left the room, leaving Virgil alone with Patton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK!   
Sorry for the wait, but the words just. Wouldn't come. I'm not good with slow chapters, that are just filling in stuff so you all know whats happening when the big stuff happens. Why can't you all just read my mind and just,,,know.  
But whatever, sorry about the wait, but its longer this time!  
The italics are Virgil having a dream/flashback about when Patton was gone and he was hanging out with Remy and Deavon. I don't like when a story is all angst, no fluff because when you have fluff, it hurts more during the angst. And then i realized that was exactly what i was doing........whoops.


	21. Chapter 21

Deceit’s entire body was burning. He was floating in a lava pool and people were standing around the pool, just out of sight, yelling words that he couldn’t understand. He tried to open his eyes but the lava was so bright, it was practically screaming. His throat was filled with flaming knives and every breath made them hotter, the knives melting and dripping into his lungs as well. His bones were filled with angry animals and the longer he stayed in the lava, the angrier they got, scratching and tearing at his limbs. He tried to move but the animals didn’t like that, ripping through his body like fire through paper. The people standing around the pool got louder and the something poked into his side. After a minute, liquid flowed through his veins, quieting the animals and cooling down the knives. The lava got cooler and his body got heavier as the sweet liquid floated him into darkness.

Roman watched Newbie walk towards him, hesitation clear on his face. He stopped about a foot away from Roman and the two of them faced each other silently. Patton was at the front desk and the two of them were alone. Roman kept his mouth shut, deciding to let the boy defend himself.

“I’m sorry about Remus.” He rasped finally, so quietly he barely heard him. Roman’s blood boiled in his ears.

“You’re sorry?” He laughed incredulously. “Remus is going to a mental hospital because of you!” The kid blanched at that and Roman shook his head. “My brother is going away because of you.” He hissed, venom dripping from his voice.

“It wasn’t my fault.” He whispered, not meeting Roman’s eyes. Roman resisted the urge to slap him so hard he flew to next week. Instead, he just leaned forward into his face and hissed a single word so quietly, if it hadn’t been completely silent and Roman hadn’t been right in his ear, he never would’ve heard it.

_ “Liar.” _

Remus sat on the edge of his seat, waiting impatiently. He was going to see Roman and Newbie today.  For the last time for a long time. 

He wasn’t dumb, contrary to popular belief. He knew what was going to happen. They thought he had set his house on fire and wounded Logan, Remy and Deavon. He heard someone say that it was still uncertain whether or not they would live. He really hoped that would make it, they didn’t deserve what had happened to them. But he wasn;t blind to his circumstances either. Remus was being held in a local therapists office for the past two days and he had heard the conversation between them. He was going to see Newbie and Roman again and then he was going to be sent to a mental hospital. They would keep him there until they thought he was better. Patton had agreed immediately. 

But he was going to see Roman again and Remus focused on that part. He hoped he had forgiven him by now. And the last time he had seen Newbie, he had passed out. Remus had been told he was ok, but he wanted proof.    
The door opened and he bolted to his feet as Roman and Newbie were led in. Newbie wouldn’t meet his eyes but Roman pulled him into a tight hug and whispered in his ear, “I’m gonna get you out of there.” He didn’t respond, just hugging his twin back. This was the last time he was going to see Roman for a long time and he wasn’t going to crush his hope. Eventually, Remus stepped back. Newbie still hadn’t looked up from the floor. Remus walked over to him.

“The ground must be really interesting.” He joked, trying to get Newbie to look at him. He did look up.

“I’m sorry, Remus.” He whispered quietly, so quiet he knew that he knew he was the only one to hear it.

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.” Remus stuck out his hand and Virgil shook it, squeezing his hand in comfort.

The three boys stood in silence, Roman leaning on Remus’s shoulder before there was a knock on the door and a man poked his head in.

“It’s time to go.” He said, leaving the door open and walking away. The boys followed, Remus and Roman clutching hands. Remus’s throat was dry and Roman had tears rolling down his face as they walked down the hallway. Virgil pushed open the front door and they stepped out into the windy afternoon. Patton and a set of policemen were out there and a car waited at the curb. Patton nodded at him and he looked away. Virgil stopped and let the twins walk the final stretch alone, which Remus was silently grateful. The boys stepped slowly at the same time, dragging out the time until they would have to let go. Remus silently prayed for the sidewalk to stretch out and go on forever. But that isn’t possible, no matter how hard two young boys wish for it and far too soon, they arrived at the car. 

Someone inside opened it and the leather interior awaited him. Remus tried to let go of Roman’s hand but he wouldn’t let go.

“We don’t have a choice.” Remus told him with a sad smile.

“We could run, there’s still time.” He breathed.

Remus shook his head at his twin. “I’m afraid the Prince must be without the Duke for a little while. I’m sure he can handle it though, the Prince can do anything.” He tried to pull his hand from Roman’s grip again and Roman let his hand slip out of his grip.

“Goodbye, Prince Roman.” He whispered, climbing into the car. Roman met his gaze, cheeks wet.

“Goodbye, Remus.” Roman whispered, before pushing the door shut. The car pulled away as he watched his brother grow smaller and smaller until there was nothing left to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know i'm getting a lot of stuff wrong about this stuff and if you ever have anything that you think i haven't portrayed properly


	22. Suddenly, Darkness overtook a young boy and lives were changed forever.

Virgil ran behind Roman and Patton, doing his best to keep pace with their longer legs as they followed the nurse through the maze of hallways. The boys had been brought to the hospital over two weeks ago and Remy was finally showing signs of waking. They had been staying in a hotel room, Virgil avoiding them like the plague. They had been awakened by the shrill ringing of the phone at almost midnight and had bolted out the door at the news that Remy was waking up. Now, they stopped in front of a door and the nurse pushed open the door, gesturing for them to enter.

The room was filled with doctors and nurses bustling around, a small shape covered by bandages laying in bed. 

“Put him on a mild sedative, just strong enough to numb him, not put him to sleep.” Dr. Kingsley ordered. Virgil had to look away as the needle pierced Remy’s pale skin. When he looked back up, Tte bandages on his face were being removed and it looked was patchy, with red and pink marks covering most of it but it looked a lot better than he thought it would. 

That's not to say it looked good though. It looked awful and Virgil felt a lump his throat at the sight.

Remy’s hand twitched and everyone in the room fell silent, turning towards the bed. An eye flicked open and then closed again and a quiet flurry of whispers filled the room as Remy Alagorez opened both of his eyes and blinked, beating all the odds and surviving something that would kill most people. Remy Alagorez was going to live. A swell of joy filled Virgil’s chest and the smiles on everyone in the room actually made it a little bit brighter. For a brief moment, the weight on Virgil’s chest was a little bit lighter as he forgot about the boys in the next two rooms and the boy sitting in a white room. 

“Hello?” Remy called, sounding strange and turning his head back and forth. 

“Do you know your name?” A nurse asked.

“I’m Remy Alagorez.” He whispered hoarsely, squinting in the nurses direction, his face strange. “Where am I? What do you want from me?”The weight came slamming down on his shoulders again at that. He doesn’t remember anything, he lost his memories, he thought in a panic.

“Remy, it’s me, Patton.” Patton whispered, putting his hand on his shoulder. “You’re in a hospital. There was a fire and you got trapped inside”

“Oh.” Remy looked around again, his face tense.” Can one of you turn on the light than? It’s kinda freaky to just hear you all and not see you.” He asked, his voice tight. Virgil almost threw up at that. 

The lights in the hospital were constantly so bright that it almost burned. Even at night, you could easily see every corner of a room.

Remy sat silently, facing where he thought the nurses voice was coming from, his face blank. They had been running tests on him for the past hour and they had finally figured out the problem, why the lights were on and he couldn’t see.

Remy Alagorez had gone blind. The fire had damaged his eyes permanently. Remy would never see again.

“I’m so sorry, but there is nothing we can do.” The nurse apologized. Patton, sitting somewhere nearby, shifted in his seat.

“Ok.” Remy whispered, his stomach filled with lead. “Can I have a second alone?” The nurse and Patton left, the nurse rubbing his shoulder on her way out.

Remy sat silently, his mind blank, his legs dangling over the side. It almost felt like he was floating in nothing. All of the sudden, he lurched to the side and grabbed at the trash can, retching up everything he had in his stomach. 

After he had finished, he laid down, his face turned towards the ceiling. He didn’t notice he was crying until he felt water hit his lips and tasted the salt on his tounge. He just sat there, tears silently rolling down his face until, all cried out, he drifted off to a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeee  
IVE HAD THIS CHAPTER WRITTEN FOR LIKE 2 WEEKS BUT I NEEDED TO YEET REMUS BEFORE THIS  
THE COFFEE BOI HAD THE RUG YEETED FROM UNDER HIS FEET


	23. Chapter 23

Logan opened his eyes slowly, his whole body aching dully. As the memories of the fire came rolling back to him, he closed his eyes and sighed. Glancing at the window, he quickly realized it was nighttime and he was alone. He winced as he accidentally glanced into the light, but his eyes quickly adjusted and he saw the small room, with a plethora of machines by his bedside and a single chair on the other side. The door was and he could hear someone wheeling a squeaky cart down the hall. He didn’t feel as bad as he expected too, but he chalked that up to the painkillers coursing through his veins. He tried to clear his throat and winced. He needed a drink. There was a button to call for a nurse, but he figured he didn’t need that. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand up.

Immediately, he crashed to the ground, pain ripping through his legs and a scream was torn from his throat.

The door banged open and a young boy came running in. “Holy shit! Aunt Christie! Help!” He screamed, his hands hovering around Logan’s shoulders, clearly wanting to help but having no clue how. There were loud footsteps rushing down the hall and two people came inside.

“What did you do?” The man demanded, as the woman kneeled by Logan and started removing the needles that were partially pulled out of his arms. He shook his head, trying to say that the boy hadn’t done anything but he yelped as pain shot through his neck. 

“I came in here and he was like this!” The boy explained desperately as the man shoved him roughly out of the room. 

“Dice, we can talk about this later, go get Carol and Tyler, quickly. “ The lady ordered, her voice somehow calm and urgent at the same time. The boy ran off as the man kneeled down by his side as well. They worked quickly, untangling him from the sheets and tubes. 

“His side.” The man murmured and the woman simply nodded as two more people came in the room. “Carol, bandages and cream.” The woman, Carol ran off. The pain was slowly becoming more manageable and Logan tried to sit up, immediately forced down by the pain and two sets of hands. 

“Hey, hey, no. Stay down.” Tyler whispered to him. “We need to lift him onto the bed, we can’t help him down here.” They nodded and got positioned around Logan. He felt exposed, vulnerable. He was literally powerless. “This might hurt a little, kid.” Tyler warned and then he was being lifted up, his back burning where the woman's hands were as Carol came back. She placed the stuff on his nightstand, eyes widening at the large patch of blood on Logan’s nightgown. Logan would be more panicked about it, but he was more concerned about the pain in his legs when he tried to stand and his desperate need for water. Luckily, Tyler seemed to read his mind and brought him a small cup. He held it to his lips and let the water slowly flow into Logan’s mouth, the cool liquid soothing his throat. He blinked gratefully at him.

“Change the bandages and then hook him back up, mild sedative. Call me as soon as you’re done.” 

“Okay.” Carol and Tyler nodded and the first two people left. He heard Dice’s voice outside the door, asking if he was okay, which was nice of him, Logan supposed, but he didn’t want to eavesdrop on the conversation. After Carol unbuttoned the hospital gown so they could get to his stomach and they unwrapped the bloody bandages, exposing his large burn, he decided that was a horrible idea and he needed to distract himself before he threw up.

“Dice, whatever you did to that poor boy was unacceptable. Your mother was right, your friends are horrible influences. You are going to-” The man said sternly before being cut off by the woman.

“Charles, this is my hospital and I'll handle this. You heard what Dice said, he came in there and the boy was like that.”

“Don’t tell me how to handle my son!” The man hissed. Logan flinched as Carol rubbed some cream into his burn and he missed what the man said next, but the lady sighed deeply.

“Don’t tell me how to handle my employees. When he is working in this hospital, he is under my rules.” She responded cooly. The man muttered something unintelligible and then,

“Dice, thank your aunt. She didn’t need to give you this chance and you know what the alternative was.”

“Thank you, Aunt Christie.” The boy said emotionlessly, like he had said it time and time again and it had lost meaning.

“Charles, you should go home. Dice has quite a bit of work left and I can give him a ride home.” Christie suggested as Tyler and Carol finished wrapping the bandages and began to reinsert the IV’s. He heard footsteps walking down the hallway and assumed that he had left.

“Thanks, Aunt Christie.” Dice said again, but this time it sounded like he actually meant it.

“Go finish your rounds, i’ve got to tend to the patients.” The lady ordered and he heard Dice walk away. A moment later, she walked in and everyone in the room quickly pretended they hadn’t been listening, though he saw Carol and Tyler exchange a look. “Logan, right? I’m Dr.Kingsley.”

Logan nodded, quickly regretting it. The pain was less intense than before but it still caused him to wince.

“Ah, I see you’ve discovered your main issue. I assume your legs gave out on you when you tried to stand?” 

“Yeah, what’s wrong with them?” He asked, almost not wanting to know the answer, but that was ridiculous. Of course he wanted to know.

“You seem like a smart kid, can I level with you here?” The doctor asked. Logan nodded, almost swearing as he felt a jolt of pain run through him. He really needed to quit doing that. “You’ve done so much already, worked so hard and I’m afraid you will have to work a lot more before you’re done. Your body is now a war zone. You went through a horribly traumatic event and you will have a ton of scar tissue. It will be incredibly painful and you must fight that. You will have to go through ages of physical therapy, just like my nephew. And scar tissue is just the beginning. Your limbs were stretched to their limits and they are not happy. In order to remain able to walk, you need to go through years of physical therapy, possibly for the rest of your life.” Logan stared at her silently, not sure how to feel about that and Tyler broke in.

“Umm, Dr. Kingsley? Don’t you think you should’ve waited for the dad to arrive?” She shook her head, watching Logan.

“The kid should know what he needs. He can take it.” She said, before rising. “Your family will be arriving in the morning, i’m sure you really want to see them.”

“Wait, how long was I asleep?” Logan asked quickly.

“Three weeks.” Logan sighed at that. That was way too long to spend unconscious. But then, Dr. Kingsley said something that made him not care about that, that changed his life, the best words he ever heard. Hearing the words, he was happier then he would ever be. Even if someone walked up to him and said “Logan Croft, you have won the Nobel Peace Prize,” he wouldn’t be as happy and excited as he was when Dr. Kingsley said her next words.

“Remy woke up a week ago and Deavon should be waking up any day now.” 

He blinked at her in shock, the words taking a minute to process, before he smiled so widely, his face hurt. Remy and Deavon lived! He laughed, his chest screaming in protest as he did and he ignored it, so deliriously happy that Remy and Deavon were living and breathing and Remy was awake and Deavon was going to wake up and they were going to live and be ok!

“Can I see Remy?” He gasped, the people in the room staring at him like he was on drugs or something, but he didn’t care because they were alive and he was going to get to see them and he had to apologize, oh God, what if they hated him now, no it doesn’t matter because at least they were alive.

“It’s late, Remy is pro-” Carol began, but Tyler raised his hand, like he was in school and broke in.

“Um, actually I just saw him, wide awake and trying to watch TV.”

“I want to go see him, can I?” Logan begged, uncharastically, but he needed to see it, he need to see Remy talking and moving and laughing and breathing and  ** _alive_ ** . The adults in the room glanced at each other and then Dr. Kingsley nodded.

“I think, given Remy’s situation, we bring Logan to him. Tyler, can you get a wheelchair and Carol, can you help me detach some of this?” Gesturing at the various tubes and wires attached to Logan.

Tyler nodded and dashed out of the room while Dr. Kingsley and Carol worked quickly. By the time Tyler was back, pushing a wheelchair, Logan was ready. They lifted him into it and wheeled him down the hall, pushing his IV with him. The made for a strange sight, a young boy in a hospital gown with a huge grin on his face, whispering “Faster, please” every few seconds, being pushed by an extremely tall and muscular man, followed by a small and tiny woman wheeling an IV. Carol had left them, Dr. Kingsley saying three people weren’t needed.. 

They rolled along for about a minute before stopping at a door cracked open slightly. Through the door, Logan could see flickering light of a television and then end of a bed, a pair of legs dangling off it.

Tyler leaned forward and knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in.” Remy’s familiar voice called and Logan’s smile grew even bigger at the sound. They wheeled Logan in slowly.

“It’s Tyler, Dr. Kingsley and your brother, Logan. He’s sitting in a wheelchair right now, but it won’t be permanent.” Tyler listed. Logan was slightly confused as to why he felt the need to do that, but dismissed it as the boy on the bed whipped around.

“Logan?! You’re awake?!” He yelled a bit too loudly for a hospital at night and Logan laughed at the delight on his face. He was wearing the same gown Logan was, but he also had a pair of sunglasses on. Typical Remy, he thought.

“Good to see you too, Remy.” He responded warmly. 

“We are at 7 o clock, 6 feet forward.” Tyler said and Remy hopped off the bed and walk towards them slowly, seeming uncertain. Logan furrowed his brow, but quickly ignored it as Remy’s hand landed on the arm of his wheelchair and then Logan’s shoulder. He leaned forward and hugged Remy tightly, Remy returning it. He winced internally as he felt the bandages wrapped around his back.

“’m so happy you’re ok.” Remy whispered softly. Logan hugged him even tighter, his throat too choked up to respond. Remy seemed to understand and rubbed his back. They stayed like that for a minute, just listening to each other breathe, before Remy let out a watery laugh and released him. Logan was reluctant to let go but knew he had too. Remy took off his glasses to wipe at his eyes and it clicked for him. He drew a sharp breath at the sight. He couldn’t name what was wrong, what had tipped him off, but his eyes. They just looked wrong. 

“Remy went blind because of the fire.” Tyler told him and Logan felt his blood turn to ice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this kind of factually incorrect? Probably. I'm like thirty percent sure that this is not how hospitals work and stuff but like,,,i spent too long googling stuff and i give up. I tried to find an official diagnosis for Logan that would give him all the symptoms I need for his coming issues but i couldn't, so we're just going to pretend that there is some strange thing that gives him all the stuff i need him to have. And I know, i'm not going to do a very good job representing fire victims and abuse victims and blind people, but i'm trying. I tried to google for hours to find things and make it more accurate and I did my best and i'll continue to do that, but ill probably mess up several times and when i do, call me out please and i'll fix it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sup, this chapter sucks. sorry.

Remus stared up at the large concrete building and a sour taste filled his mouth. If Roman had been with him, he would’ve been cracking jokes about a villains lair but right now all he could think about was that movie he and Roman had seen when their babysitter let them stay up after their bed time. It had a weird name, Session something, it started with n? Nevermind, it didn’t matter. This place was nowhere like that movie, he was going to be fine.

Right?

He felt someone push him forward and realized that he had stopped moving. He forced his legs to move across the concrete walkway and eventually they reached a large set of worn metal doors. The lady that drove him here waved a pass of some kind in front of a camera and after a minute, the doors swung open with a loud creak. Remus almost threw up

The hallway was long and winding, the lights dim and he could hear distant crying. He had a sudden urge to run but held back. This was fair. He had started a fire. <strike>He hadn’t done it. This wasn’t fair.He didn't deserve this. </strike>

  
  


Remus, no. Remember what he told you. Go inside.

He stepped through the doors slowly. They swung closed behind them with a loud bang and he jumped. Scanning his surroundings, Remus felt a lump rise in his throat.  _ It’s just a game, it’s not real.  _ Remus mouthed, wishing it wasn’t a lie. Nevertheless, the words gave him the power to move forward. 

“Kevin, go log him in. I’ll get him set up.” The dude that sat by him in the car left and the driver grabbed Remus’s hand tighter then she had too. He tried to ask her to loosen up, but the words wouldn;t come. 

He was led through a maze of halls, all identical and confusing until finally, they reached a pair of metal doors and he was pushed through them, almost tripping. The lady followed him, leaving the doors open a crack. 

They were standing in a courtyard, brick walls stretching so high that you couldn’t see the top surrounding them. People, around 50 of them, were standing around, some in groups and some by themselves, some talking and some silent, most of them looking between 13 and mid-twenties. All of them were wearing the same gray outfit. They all fell silent at the sight of Remus and the woman, staring at them. 

“Stevens, Marckley! Take him. You know what to do.” Remus glanced up in alarm at the lady. She was gonna leave him alone with all these psychos? He just got here, he wasn’t in the mood to die at the moment.

The lady avoided his eyes and slipped backwards through the doors and left him standing there, alone with everyone staring at him in silence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, peoples. I'm back after like a week of silence. Sorry, the words wouldn't come and when they did, they were no good. I can't figure out how to move the story forward. I know what I want to happen, I'm just having difficulty figuring out how Deavon is going to wake up and how everything is going to happen and just,,,,,words. I'm not gonna give up on this story but there might be a longer wait for a bit while i try to get everything straight.


	25. Screaming at the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The child screams at the world  
The moon listens   
The trees watch  
Everything watches him fall apart without caring

Remy entered Deavon’s room right after Virgil and he watched Remy carefully as he swung his new white cane around the room, struggling to get his bearings and find a seat.

Logan came in behind him and almost started to guide him to a chair but seemed to think twice, hands freezing and then sinking back down to his sides. Remy had been awfully easy to annoy lately, especially when it came to someone trying to help him do something. It was better just to watch and wait for him to figure it out. Instead, Logan chose to hover in the background, ready to leap forward and help at any moment. 

Roman didn’t even seem to care about Remy, climbing into a chair and ignoring everyone else as soon as he got into the room. He had been like this for several days, ignoring everything and only speaking when spoken to. It was a stark contrast to the normally energetic and loud boy and while Virgil wasn’t exactly fon of Roman, he still felt a pang of concern at the sight of his dejected face.

Patton entered the room last and immediately grabbed Remy by the shoulder and guided him to a chair. Virgil saw a flash of pain in Remy’s eyes and he rubbed his shoulder but he stayed silent, slumping down in his chair and leaning his cane up against the wall. The nurse that was watching over Deavon chose to do the less intelligent thing and speak up.

“Mr. Sanders, I must advise you against doing things like that. Not only does Remy have a large burn on that shoulder, but you should never grab a blind person without their permission and always let your son know when you are about to touch him. Furthermore, Remy needs to learn how to guide himself. If he doesn’t ask for help, I would let him do things by himself.” She said kindly. Patton tensed and Virgil took a step back, making sure he stayed out of his direct sight. Patton wouldn’t do anything to him in public...right?

“Of course, I didn’t think of that.” He nodded but his voice sounded strange, stiff and fake. The nurse didn’t notice it and smiled, satisfied that she had done her job. The room was silent for around a minute, everyone staring at the too still, too pale boy that was laying in the middle of the room, face mostly obscured by bandages. Virgil hopped into a chair across the room from Roman and Logan; next to Remy and watched Deavon on the bed, letting mind drift back to before the fire. Deavon had seemed so old and intimidating back then, like he would destroy anything that crossed him. 

But now he seemed so frail and young, innocent, like a single gust of wind would take Deavon away from them. He had done this. He had taken the strong, determined boy who had laughed, joked and fought with Remy and Logan and turned him into a small kid, fighting for his life in a hospital. Even if he did live, then what? He would never be the same because of Virgil, because he couldn’t behave and keep it together. He felt a sour taste in his mouth and he resisted the urge to throw up. He couldn’t cause any more trouble than he already had. 

He didn’t even register the hacking noise for a moment, staring blankly as his mind ran wild, but then it came again and Deavon’s body shook. Virgil jumped to his feet as Deavon coughed again and again, the noise horrible and grating. Everyone else was standing as well, clearly shocked and unsure of what to do next as Deavon began to grab at his neck and try and sit up, cords coming loose and tubes flying everywhere, still making that horrible sound as he struggled.

“What the heck is happening?” Remy hollered. No one responded, all frozen to their spots. The nurse snapped out of it after another second and ran forward.

“Dr.Kingsley!” The nurse shrieked, pulling Deavon’s hands away from his throat. The door swung open not even a second later and several more doctors and nurses burst in, helping get Deavon settled and stop him from hurting himself, laying him down gently and reconnecting tubes and wires. The horrible coughs stopped and Deavon’s one uncovered eye gazed around the room blearily.

“Water.” The word went almost unnoticed by everyone but Remy and Virgil.

“He needs a drink!” The two chorused loudly. A nurse broke away from the group running checks and plugging in tubes to fill one of the flimsy paper cups from the sink in the room.

“We need to remove his bandages.” He told his coworkers and Virgil felt his heart stop. Several people stiffened and glanced at Roman, Logan or Virgil, clearly uncomfortable with them being there. The head doctor noticed the energy shift in the room and she shook her head.

“The kid needs a drink, uncover his face.” She ordered, turning back to the task she was doing, finishing it up quickly. “There are too many of us in here, Paige, Jim and Amy, stay, everyone else out. The family can stay too.” She added as an afterthought. The people who weren’t named filed out and the three who remained got to work unpeeling the bandages on Deavon’s face. 

He didn’t look like he was in pain, just sort of bored and out of it, Virgil noted thankfully. The painkillers they were pumping into him must’ve been strong. 

Glancing across the bed, Virgil made eye contact with Logan. The older boy was gnawing on his lower lip. He nodded at Virgil before looking back to Deavon. Virgil looked back as well and immediately wished he hadn’t.

The bandages had been peeled off all the way and his face was a mess. It was a large, gaping wound, bits of skin stretching across it making a strange pattern across his face, blood still oozing out of certain parts, with glimpses of muscle showing through. It looked like something you’d see in a zombie video game commercial. 

Virgil blacked out for a solid chunk of time, maybe five minutes or so. He wasn’t sure of what exactly happened, but when he regained awareness and control of his body, he was hurtling across the parking lot, his legs pounding against the concrete as he wheezed, desperately sucking air into his lungs like there was no tomorrow, mind spinning. Deavon’s face! It was horrible and disgusting and he wanted to throw up. He pushed the thought and the picture out of his mind and just focused on moving forward and away. Left, right, left, right, just run Virgil, ignore the blindness, ignore the missing boy, ignore the face of nightmares, just move.

But as everyone knows, you can’t outrun your own mind, no matter how fast you go. Eventually Virgil’s legs could move no more and he collapsed in the cold, grassy clearing he had run to. He had no idea where he was. His chest burned and he could hardly breathe, desperately trying to suck in oxygen.  _ You know, it’s a lot harder to breathe with smoke and embers filling the air _ , a voice in his head snarled.

Virgil screamed then, screamed and screamed and screamed at everything, at the ground, at his family, at the world. “I’m sorry, okay?” He shrieked at the sky, clambering to his feet. The moon looked down at him, silently mocking him, judging him. “I don’t know what you want me to do anymore! I’m sorry! I can’t change what happened! I’m sorry!” He shouted, ignoring the tightness in his chest, as he staggered around in a circle, barely able to stay on his feet. “I’m sorry, Logan! I’m sorry, Remus! I’m sorry, Remy! I’m sorry, Roman! I’m sorry, Deavon!” He shouted as loud as he could, the trees around him whispering to each other in the wind, making fun of him, watching him coldly, uncaring. Unforgiving. “I’m sorry.” He whispered one last time, voice cracking, sinking to his knees. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I'm back. It's been quite awhile and i'm sorry about that so here's a nice big helping of angst as an apology   
I don't know when the next chapter will come up but it'll be less of a wait this time


	26. Trees can't see but other things can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trees can't hear anything nor can they speak.  
The moon certainly doesn't have eyes either.   
But the tress weren't the only things in the forest that night

Dice did not like nature. In the general scale of things, it was close to zero, along with gym class and his classmates. But his parents screaming at each other was even farther down the scale, so Dice found himself crawling out of his window and shimmying down the tree outside his room once again.

He did like being the only house around and being in the forest meant that he didn’t have to deal with cars and litter everywhere, like in town, so all in all it was a good deal. And it was nice and quiet too, which Dice greatly appreciated. 

Well, normally it was.

Dice twisted around so fast when he heard the scream, he almost spilled his coffee. “Who the fuck decided to go into a forest at midnight? Fucking dumbass.” He scoffed, adjusting his scarf and heading in the direction of the scream. It hadn’t sounded too far away which unfortunately meant whatever caused the scream wasn’t too far away either.”Now I’m going to die because I’m too nice to let them die alone. God, I should’ve stayed home.” He muttered, ducking under a tree branch. Wait, wasn't there a bobcat of some sort that sounded just like a young woman? 

As he got closer to the source of the screaming, it cut off and fell into loud sobs, so that disproved the bobcat theory. It sounded so young, almost heart wrenching if Dice actually cared. He pushed through the bushes and found himself in the clearing he sometimes went stargazing in, a small kid curled up in the middle of it. Scanning the clearing for any wild animals, he jogged up to the kid, kneeling by their side. He recalled watching his Aunt Christie comforting people in the hospital and he tried to remember what she had done, cursing himself as he did so. Why couldn't he pay attention more often?

He cautiously placed his hand on the boys shoulder. “Hey, kid. What’s up?” He tried, cringing hard as soon as the words passed his lips. The kid let of a wet chuckle and peeked out at him. Dice raised an eyebrow at him, recognizing him from the hospital. “Holy shit, you’re that kid. The ummmm...” Dice tried to remember what family the kid was connected to, “The fire people, right? The one that fainted? What the hell are you doing all the way out here?” Badddd move, kid rolled back over and put his face back in the dirt. “Well, what the hell did you do that for? Your face is all wet and you just put it on the ground, now you’re covered in mud. God, kid, it’s like you haven’t got a brain. First you come to the woods, in the middle of the night when you don’t know what’s out here and then you put your face in the ground? We need to get you back to someone who can give you a brain cell.” 

Dice pulled the kid to his feet. He blinked up at him owlishly, dirt all over his face just like he said. He clucked his tongue at the kid, pulling out the tissues he carried with him and passed them to him. The kid rubbed it over his face, more smearing the dirt around his face than getting it off, but whatever. Wasn’t Dice’s problem. “Dude, quit crying. You’re kinda killing the mood here.” He told the tiny one, tilting his sunglasses so he could look over the top to see the child. The child rolled his eyes and wiped his face again, this time with his sleeve. “And now your sweater is dirty too, God, you’re a trainwreck.”

“I’m not the one that’s wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night.” The ungrateful midget sassed. 

Dice made an offended noise.“Wow, respect the drip, Karen.” He told him, sipping his coffee. “C’mon, let’s get you back to the brain cells. That one with the attitude, he’s got one to spare, I think.”

“Remy?” The dwarf said incredulously. Dice chuckled, understanding the kid's shock.

“God no, the other one. Logan, I think his name was.” Dice said, walking towards the trees, kid following a few steps behind him. “Bitch told me like fifty different types of coffee after he asked what I was drinking and I said I don’t fucking know, I just know it’s good. Fucking nerd, it's just coffee. Why the hell does he know so many kinds anyways? Don't answer that, I don't actually care.” He added, noticing the gremlin about to say something. “That other one, Rembrandt- ” 

“It’s just Remy.”

“I don’t careeee, he stole my coffee, the dumb bitch. Aunt Christie said I’m not allowed to threaten the patients anymore so you need to do something for me, kay? You tell that toothpick cunt that if I ever see his demonic, soulless, sinful little hands near my coffee ever again, I’m gonna put him back in that coma.”

“I’m not gonna do that.”

“Then I’ll abandon you in these woods, ungrateful elf. God, I rescue you from the forest and this is the thanks I get?”

“You’re literally leading me back into the forest.”

“And I can literally start running and your short legs will never catch me.”

“Bastard.”

“Ingrate.” Dice shot back, rolling his eyes. “You are the reason I will never have kids.”

“I’m doing the world a favor.”

“You’re a little smart mouthed shit, you know that?” Dice tried his best but couldn’t help but crack a smile. Peeking over his shoulder, the little brat was smirking too.

“You’re just jealous.”

“Jealous of what, snow white skin? A squeaky voice? Greasy hair? Oh, you’re sooo right, I definitely want to be two inches tall.”

“Denial is the first step to acceptance.”

“Nerd.”

“Dropout.”

“That’s a big word for someone so young, did you hurt your brain thinking of that?”

“I know it’s typical for you but for people with more than two braincells, thinking is painless.”

“I’m not the one that decided to go into the woods at midnight.”

“Oh, so you just randomly snapped awake and you were in the woods?”

“Shhhhh, we aren’t talking about me right now.”

“Wow, that’s a shocker, cause that’s all you seem to do.”

They fell into a friendly bickering match after that, teasing each other lightly and carefully. Dice didn’t want to make the little one cry again. Luckily, the kid didn’t seem to mind, smiling and returning insults with vigor and zest as they walked through the woods together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than I wanted and a weird place to end off on but I didn't want to leave you all waiting too long


End file.
